


I Met a Traveller

by wildwinterwitch



Series: Meetings [5]
Category: Doctor Who (2005), Single Father (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-02
Updated: 2013-09-14
Packaged: 2017-12-22 04:54:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 35
Words: 106,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/909164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wildwinterwitch/pseuds/wildwinterwitch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the excitements of the summer, Rose and the Tilers have settled into the routine of everyday life. They seem to deal well with their respective loss, when their lives are upset again by sudden arrivals and departures and Dave and Rose have to face difficult decisions.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This story starts after _I Met the Prince of Sleep_ , in October.
> 
> The title is taken from _Ozymandias_ by Percy Bysshe Shelley.

Prologue

Evie was lost.

It had all been so exciting. Sarah had taken them on their very first class trip that morning. Evie had been so overwrought that she hadn’t been able to go to sleep last night, not even after Dad’s story. Her whole body had tingled so wonderfully as she’d hugged Amy to herself under the covers. It was a little bit like Christmas.

They wanted to go to a museum to see the things archaeologists — what a word! But she had whispered it to herself all night and now she knew that hard word — archaeologists had found in the desert. They were an Ancient Egyptian’s things. Sarah had told them of golden cats and little jars, of pictures telling stories on walls and… and a mummy! A real, live mummy!

Evie trembled at the promise of adventure. They had taken a coach into the city centre, and it had gone a different route than Dad used with the car. They hadn’t passed the shop that sold her favourite crayons. Then they had stopped and gotten off in a square with red tarmac. She’d dragged the tips of her shoes over the rough ground to check if the colour would come off, but it didn’t.

And all those grand old buildings! Some of them were dirty, but they were all great. She’d dropped Miss Harper’s hand as she turned around to look at the lions that guarded the entrance to one of the big red buildings. When she’d reached for Miss Harper’s hand again, she was gone.

Evie froze for a moment. Where were they?

She looked up and down the road, but apart from lots of people and cars she couldn’t see the crowd of kids in the bright red jumpers her class wore.

Sarah had told them not to move if they got lost. Someone would come looking for them and it was Very Important not to move so they could find her. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to go back to the traffic lights and peek around the corner. Besides, she had her mobile phone. She could always ring Sarah or Dad.

Miss Harper hadn’t even noticed that she was gone. Evie wished it had been Mum instead; she didn’t like Miss Harper much. She had started at the school after Mum’s accident. All the other children liked her, but Evie didn’t. She was always a bit impatient and she giggled too much and so shrilly it made her ears hurt. Sarah had told her she wanted her to bring up the rear with Miss Harper, and Evie had agreed because she didn’t want to upset Sarah.

Evie returned to the place where she’d let go of Miss Harper’s hand. She felt a little tired and sat down on the steps of the grand old building. The lions would look after her. She’d wait a bit and then she’d call Sarah. Just a few minutes. The lions were just so beautiful and she wanted to touch their mane but they were so high up.

She leaned forward to look up and down the road again, and then she saw him.

“Dad!” She jumped up and ran towards him. He had just come out of a narrow alley they had passed earlier. He was wearing a funny, long coat and a brown suit she’d never seen before, but it was Dad.

“Dad!”

He was walking fast but finally she caught up with him and grabbed his hand. It nearly slipped through her fingers, but at the last moment she caught a few of his fingers.

“Dad!” she called out, confused why he wouldn’t stop. He must have heard her.

Finally, he stopped and looked at her. He was frowning and he was wearing a pair of glasses she’d never seen on him. There was a strange bleeping and whirring thing in his free hand.

“Oh, hello!” the man said. He sounded like her Dad, but a bit like Mickey or Rose. That wasn’t Dad. She let go of his fingers. “Are you lost?”

Evie looked up at him. But he looked like Dad! And he sounded like him.

He squatted next to her so she didn’t have to look up at him. “I’m the Doctor.”

“Hello,” she managed to say. Mum would be furious with her if she were rude, even if he was a stranger. She wasn’t supposed to talk to him.

“What’s your name?”

“Evie.”

“Hello, Evie. Have you lost your Dad?”

“No, I… I lost my class. We’re going to a museum.”

“Oh, I love museums. They are brilliant! Which one?”

“I don’t know. But it has a mummy,” Evie shrugged. The stranger seemed nice. “What’s your name?”

“I’m the Doctor.”

“Yes, you said that,” Evie said patiently. Why did adults have to be so dim at times? She wasn’t stupid! “Doctor who?”

“Just the Doctor,” he repeated. “Did you think I was your Dad?”

Evie shrugged. “You look like him. But your voice is different. Are you from London?”

“What makes you think that?”

“You sound like Rose.”

The Doctor’s eyes went wide and he took off his glasses. His eyes were large and brown like Dad’s too.

“I can’t see properly without my glasses on,” she pointed out.

“I just need them to read,” the Doctor said, sounding as if he wasn’t really talking to her. “Rose?”

“Dad’s girlfriend. She’s really nice,” Evie explained.

Just then, Miss Harper came hurrying back. She was pale and red in the face at the same time and she was puffing. “Evie! There you are! Thank Goodness. What were you thinking?” she scolded her.

“The lions are so pretty,” Evie pointed out.

Miss Harper looked at the Doctor. “Oh, Mr Tiler. I’m so sorry. One minute I was holding her hand, the next she was gone. She ring you?”

“Ah,” the Doctor said, rising to his feet. “I…” He looked even more confused than before.

“It’s all right, she’s my teacher,” Evie said.

“Evie, I’m sure your Dad knows who I am. Come on, love, the others are waiting for you. Good bye, Mr Tiler, so sorry to bother you.” Miss Harper took her hand and turned to go.

“I was just… round the corner,” the Doctor lied.

“Bye!” Evie said, waving at him.

He waved back, and when Evie turned around again the Doctor was gone.

“Never let go of my hand again, young lady,” Miss Harper said.

“Sorry, miss.”

Evie knew she should feel bad, but she didn’t. Who was the Doctor? Why did he look like her Dad? Dad didn’t have any brothers. Or sisters. It was a mystery, and she loved it. She’d make it her secret because her brothers and sister certainly would not believe her.

What a day of adventure and mystery indeed! She couldn’t wait to see the mummy.


	2. One

Part One

 _I met a traveller from an antique land_  
Who said: “[…] Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!”  
– P B Shelley, _Ozymandias_

One

Dave was having a hard time concentrating on the shopping list. He was usually much better at remembering things. He’d written the list out himself earlier in the day and usually they just served as a backup. But today it felt more like a lifeline. He had a nagging feeling that he was going to forget something.

He was still shaken by two things that had happened after the morning school run. He had snatched the post out of the basket as he’d grabbed his keys and slipped the envelopes into his jacket pocket to go through them at the studio. As he’d done so, he had noticed the logo of the Royal Academy of Art on stiff, expensive-looking paper. He’d completely forgotten about submitting sample pictures to their annual photography competition. His heart had started to beat faster, and he’d torn open the envelope as soon as he’d dropped off the bairns.

_We are delighted to tell you that your work is shortlisted for this year’s awards. Please submit the rest of the work as specified by 31 October._

The words kept repeating themselves like a broken record.

_We are delighted to tell you that your work is shortlisted for this year’s awards. Please submit the rest of the work as specified by 31 October._

He needed to talk to Rose. He had sent in four of the photos from the _Emptiness Folder_ , never really believing that he would even make it onto the shortlist. The whole work comprised ten photos, and they’d have to select a half-dozen from the shoot for the competition. They’d have to be powerful but presentable shots because they would be part of an exhibition at the Carlisle Gallery in Edinburgh. It was one of his favourite galleries in the world, and he’d always dreamed of seeing his work on display there one day. Like most dreams, he’d never seriously thought he’d stand a chance.

And now that was about to change.

Dave had sat in the car for almost a quarter of an hour, his mind reeling, trying to find a way to tell Rose, and going through the photos in his mind. Then he’d reined his giddiness in and driven to the supermarket to pick up this week’s food.

That was when he had seen the photo.

It was all over the papers. There was a shot of Rose and him at a ball they had attended that weekend. _Tyler and Tiler: Meet Rose’s Beau_ one of the headlines read, and another: _The Man Who Stole Rose’s Heart_. Only The Sun, however, promised more information on the mysterious man. He’d surreptitiously picked up a copy to look at the rest of the photos inside. His heart had stopped. There was a pap shot of him playing footie in the park with Ewan and Paul.

How was that possible? Paparazzi were only allowed to take photos if they were given permission to do so, and definitely forbidden to photograph children, permission or no. Dave remembered the day he had played with his sons in the park, but he couldn’t remember seeing anyone with a camera.

“Are they yours?”

Startled, he looked up from the paper; the thin material was trembling slightly in his hands. A stout middle-aged lady was standing next to him, peering over the edge of the paper. The words were out of his mouth before he could think. “Yes, they are.”

He squared his jaw. He shouldn’t have answered the woman’s question. Just like the pap shot, her question was an invasion of privacy. He was furious. He’d known that something like this was going to happen one day, but he’d hoped people were more decent than that, and he’d also counted on Rose for protection.

“Gorgeous,” she said, patting his hand.

He snatched it away, crumpling the paper so badly that he’d have to buy it. “If you’ll excuse me,” he said, folding the paper and tossing it into the shopping cart. He’d have bought it anyway. He usually didn’t buy the The Sun, but he needed to show Rose. It wasn’t that he doubted she’d believe him. He just needed it to make his point.

His mobile trilled and he fished it out of his pocket to answer it.

“Have you seen it?” Robin asked without preamble.

Dave ran his free hand through his hair. “Aye.”

“This isn’t only outrageous, it’s unprofessional and disrespectful and above all against the law and verboten!” Robin said. Dave froze. For once Robin had only used one synonym, which meant that kind, patient Robin was beside himself.

“What can we do?” he asked, nudging the cart with his hip to get away from the news rack. The woman was dawdling and the last thing he wanted was for her to overhear his conversation.

“Well, the photo is out there in print, but I can have it deleted from the Internet, and of course I’ll do everything to prevent it from happening again,” Robin said, a little calmer now. “What did Rose say?”

“I don’t think she knows yet,” he replied. She’d texted him in the wee hours to tell him there was a case she had to work. He couldn’t tell Robin that, of course. “She’s travelling for work.”

“Try to talk to her as soon as possible. She’ll need to get her lawyers in as well. The more of us the better. Scum!” Robin added in a rare outburst of profanity.

Dave smiled. “I will. Thank you, Robin. Does Anna know?”

Robin sighed. “I’ll talk to her. Don’t worry.”

Dave disconnected the call, unsure if his sister-in-law would be placated easily over this. It was exactly what she had warned him would happen, and now she’d been proved right. Anna still hadn’t entirely accepted Rose. He was sure it was more out of a need to protect him and the kids than a genuine dislike for her, though.

Being with Rose officially wasn’t easy. Although he was laughing in the photo from the ball, he had felt very out of place at the event, and he had clung to Rose like a child to his mother’s skirts. Luckily, in their case people had assumed that they were so in love that they couldn’t let go of each other.

He went through the shopping list as he entered the cereal aisle. His phone trilled again, and, sighing, he slipped the list into his back pocket while fishing for his phone. He didn’t recognise the number and for a moment he was tempted not to answer it.

“Dave? This is Jackie. Rose’s Mum.”

“Oh, hello,” he said, his heart starting to thump hard again. Jackie Tyler remained an intimidating woman, no matter how cordial and natural she had been when they’d first met.

“I can’t believe what happened. But don’t worry, love, I’ve got it all sorted,” Jackie said.

“Thanks. My… Robin, my lawyer, was just on the phone to me to let me know he’d deal with it as well,” Dave replied, picking a large box of cocoa pops from the shelf.

“Brilliant. Now, about the boys. You’ll have to talk to them about it, help them deal with it. I can imagine that they won’t have an easy time at school for the foreseeable future. I am so sorry for what happened, Dave. Are you all right, love?”

Dave swallowed. He hadn’t thought about that at all. How could he have been so thick? Of course that was what Anna was most concerned about, but he’d been so carried away and dizzy with love that he hadn’t stopped to think about how his bairns would be treated by their classmates once their relationship became public knowledge. If Rose were just an ordinary woman none of it would be an issue.

“Dave?”

“Aye, I’m still here. I will talk to them,” he said.

“They’re gorgeous. I’d love to meet them, and your daughters. Why don’t you all come down to London for Samhain?”

“Oh, well, I… I’ll have to talk to Rose about that,” he stammered, taken by surprise.

“You do that, love. And don’t worry about the pap shots too much, yeah?” Jackie said and rang off.

Stunned, Dave looked at his mobile. He wondered if the chirp of his alarm clock would wake him in a few moments to take everything away. Including being shortlisted.

He dug out his shopping list, smoothed it against his thigh and tried to be as efficient about getting things as possible. He picked up fruit and vegetables, but had to travel all over the supermarket to get all the other things. And then he stopped in front of the condoms. He needed to stock up on them again as well, so he grabbed the box with the kind Rose and he preferred and dropped it into the cart, covering it with a bag of sweets. There was no need to advertise their sex life to all and sundry, particularly not now that people had started to recognise him.

“Dad!”

He pushed the cart out of the aisle towards the wine section. Despite the pap shots he felt like celebrating being shortlisted with Rose when she returned from her case. He had no idea when that would be, but at least the bubbly would be properly chilled by then.

“Dad?”

He turned around, looking for the lost girl. There were no children in this aisle, only a pensioner looking a bit lost at the vast selection, and a young woman with the most gorgeous wavy Hollywood hair he’d ever seen. It was brown and shone like liquid silk — like something out of a shampoo ad, he thought, shaking himself out of his reverie.

When he looked at her, her eyes lit up. “Dad!”

Dave stood rooted to the spot.

“Dad!”

She moved quickly towards him, but when he still didn’t move and she sensed that he didn’t recognise her, she stopped. Was there a daughter he hadn’t known of? He blinked. Certainly not. This woman was hardly older than Tanya, and he hadn’t been with anyone else in the three years before she’d come along.

 _What am I thinking?_ The events of the morning had shaken him, that was all, apparently more than he’d thought.

“I’m sorry, there must be a misunderstanding,” he said.

She laughed nervously, but visibly crestfallen, and put her shopping basket down. “Yes, I think so. It’s my fault. I’m sorry if I’ve embarrassed you.”

“Not embarrassed, no,” Dave said.

“You just look a lot like my Dad,” the young woman continued.

Like the Doctor, he added silently, but dismissed the idea. That man — alien — was in another universe. He hadn’t been aware of the fact that he obviously had a doppelgänger in this universe as well. I’m starting to think like Rose, he thought. So he squeaked a feeble, “Oh.”

“I should have known better,” she said. “He’s… far away. There’s really no chance he’d be here. I’m sorry to have bothered you, sir.” She brushed back a lock of hair, picked up her basket and left.

Dave shook his head and turned back to the shelf. What had he come for? _Oh yes, the champagne…_

-:-

Evie, Ewan, Paul and Lucy sat very still that night after they had cleared away the dishes. Lottie was there as well, at Dave’s request. On the table lay the crumpled edition of The Sun Dave had picked up at the supermarket that morning. Evie, who had been unaware of the pap shot, looked a little shocked as she saw the photo of her Dad and brothers playing footie in the park. Luckily, the children in her form hadn’t teased her, young as they were, but Ewan, Paul and Lucy had been on the receiving end of some remarks.

“I wish I could have protected you from that,” Dave said, sitting down at the head of the table.

“It wasn’t that bad,” Paul said.

“Yes, it was. Photos like this aren’t allowed,” Lucy said. She sat, her arms crossed in grim determination. She was like a lioness at that moment, and Dave suppressed a smile at her protectiveness.

“Lucy is right. The person who took this picture is in serious trouble. Robin and one of Rose’s lawyers are working on it,” he said. “Now. You all know that Rose is… famous and therefore very popular.”

The kids nodded eagerly. “But her private life is no one’s business. I know I am on the first page with her. That is okay. That was an official party we attended. But playing footie with you in the park, or taking you to school, or spending time with you is our business. And no one is allowed to take your photo, unless I allow it.” Ewan opened his mouth, but Dave interrupted him. “Only I won’t allow it. You are my children. I have to protect you. I don’t want you bullied.”

“Joe Strallen said something to me this morning,” Paul said. “About how I’m famous and too good to talk to anyone.”

Dave’s heart broke. “That is exactly what I mean. I’m the one who is with Rose, you lot are by proxy, but it’s my job to protect you from this sort of thing. I feel bad for not noticing the paparazzi.”

“Paparazzo,” Lucy said.

“What?”

“If it was only one of them, it’s paparazzo.”

“Yes. So. Robin and Rose’s lawyers have stepped in to make sure that something like this won’t happen again. It is quite verboten,” he said, mimicking Robin’s voice, “for them to take photos of children.”

“But why do they want photos of us?” Evie asked.

“Because people are interested in who Rose is in love with,” Ewan explained. “I don’t get it myself.”

“Well, you are interested in anything Wayne Rooney does,” Lucy pointed out. “The kind of girl he dates.”

“Nah,” Ewan said. “She’s silly. I just care about _him_.”

“Boys!” Lucy huffed.

“If anyone at school teases you or bullies you because I am with Rose,” Dave said, “tell them to talk to me. It’s not your fault that I fell in love with her.”

“I am very glad you met her, Dad,” Paul said.

Dave smiled. _Oh Paul_. “It’s between me and Rose and it’s not anyone else’s business. Don’t talk to anyone about our family, okay?”

Evie bit her lip and looked at the table top. Dave had a sinking feeling someone might have taken advantage of her. Her little adventure about getting lost in the city that morning hadn’t faded into history yet. “Are you all right, Evie?” he asked.

“I… I told the Doctor today that you and Rose are in love.” Evie pronounced the last two words with a reverence that made Dave’s heart go weak.

“Who?”

“The Doctor. He was a man who looked just like you, Dad, and he stayed with me until Miss Harper found me. He was very nice,” Evie said.

Dave blinked. “The Doctor?”

“He said that was his name,” Evie replied in distress.

“I believe you, sweetheart,” Dave said, reaching across the table for her hand.

“Do you know him?” she asked, her eyes going wide.

“No, I don’t, but I know you, and I know you haven’t lied to me,” Dave said.

“It was probably just a perv making fun of you,” Lucy said.

“He was nice!” Evie insisted.

“The thing is,” Dave said, “we’ll have to be a little careful now. I know it’s my fault and I’m sorry for it.”

“For being in love with Rose?” Lucy asked, incredulous.

“Sometimes, you’re silly, Dad,” Paul said.

Dave stared at his son, then he guffawed.

“Can we talk about Mum now? I’d like to look at a picture of her,” Ewan said. It was Monday night. They had made it a habit of looking at a picture of Rita on Monday nights.

“Sure, aye,” Dave said, surprised how suavely his kids were dealing with the whole hullabaloo about the pap shot. It seemed he saw more of a problem in it than his bairns. His heart swelled with pride. They were so brave and a lot more resilient than he’d thought, a true credit to Rita’s upbringing. Maybe this was the positive result of being so strict about values and good manners. It was certainly something he’d like to continue. The whole experience taught him how down-to-earth and decent his bairns were, and he’d do anything to keep them like this.


	3. Two

Two

Dave’s heart wasn’t in it when he read Evie her bedtime story that night. His thoughts kept returning to her remarks at the dinner table and to the man who had stayed with her until Miss Harper returned for her.

“Dad!”

“What?” He asked, startled by his daughter’s rude interruption.

“You’re not concentrating hard enough,” she scolded him. “Everyone sounds the same.”

It was true. He hadn’t been using the individual characters’ voices the way he usually did as he read. “I’m sorry.”

“Are you still worried about the photo? I think it’s a nice one,” she said.

Dave smiled. “It is. But you do know that the person who took it wasn’t allowed to take it?”

“Yes,” she said softly.

“You’ve had an exciting day, haven’t you,” he said.

She looked up at him. She was still wearing her glasses; they made her look older than her years, and for a moment Dave wondered if he hadn’t overburdened his youngest child. “The mummy was really exciting,” she said.

“Weren’t you scared?” he asked. Dave wasn’t sure Evie was aware of the fact that a mummy was a real dead person, that if Rita had lived in Egypt three millennia ago she’d probably look the same now; provided she’d been a noblewoman, of course.

“It was really interesting, Dad!” she said.

“What about the Doctor?” he asked.

“What about him?” She played with Amy’s pigtails.

“Well, I’ve told you not to talk to strangers in the street, sweetpea.”

“But he wasn’t a stranger, Dad. He looked just like you. Are you sure you don’t have a brother?” she asked.

“Positive,” he said.

Was it possible? Had the Doctor, Rose’s Doctor, really found a way through the walls that separated their universes? Did Rose know? Had she been keeping the Doctor a secret? Was he her latest case?

“I have a picture of him,” Evie said. “It’s on my desk.” Her voice was proud as she talked about her desk. Rita had given it to her last Christmas, so she didn’t feel like the baby of the family any more. Evie used it mostly to draw her pictures.

“May I have a look at it?” Dave asked, closing the book, the story forgotten.

“Of course,” Evie said, and her voice sounded as if she’d have liked to add silly.

Dave stood and went over to the desk where the drawing sat on the top of the other papers. He switched on the light to look at it more carefully, and he had to admit that it was very good. He switched on the lamp above the desk and looked at her drawing. The face was generic, with a pair of square spectacles riding on the dot depicting the man’s nose. He was dressed in a pinstriped suit (brown and blue), and a long brown coat. His hair was standing on end, and he sported a wide grin. Dave couldn’t really tell if the man in the picture bore any resemblance to himself. Evie wasn’t good enough yet to make her faces distinguishable. He could only tell her people in pictures apart based on the clothes they wore, or on their size and hair colour.

“He’s wearing trainers with a suit?” he asked, his brows raised.

Evie shrugged. “His hair was really crazy too. It was all sticky-uppy.”

“Hmm, I can tell,” Dave agreed.

“He was really nice, and I’m sorry,” Evie said.

Dave put the drawing down. “What for, sweetpea?”

“For talking to him. Mum told me not to talk to strangers,” Evie said, obviously distressed. “But he looked like you and he was really really nice.”

Dave sighed, crossing the room in two strides. Evie’s room was the smallest of all the children’s rooms. Maybe Anna was right. Maybe it was time to make some changes the house. He couldn’t bear the idea of giving up his mother’s house for one more suited to his family’s needs, so adding to it was the only option he had.

He sat down by Evie’s head, drawing her into his arms. “Mum was right. It’s very dangerous to talk to strangers, even if they look like me. But I’m not mad at you, Evie. You were alone and scared and you thought it was me.”

“I wasn’t scared!” Evie protested. “I had my mobile.”

“Of course you weren’t. See, that’s just me, your silly old Dad.”

Evie nodded.

Dave guffawed. He tucked Evie in, took off her glasses and kissed her forehead. “Go to sleep now, love.”

“Good night, Dad,” she murmured, snuggling into her duvet. It was amazing, he thought, how resilient his youngest daughter was. He envied her ability to bounce back.

The drawing of the Doctor wouldn’t leave him alone. Paired with Evie’s repeated reassurance that the Doctor looked like him, it didn’t do anything to set Dave at ease. He would have liked to talk to Rose at once, but he knew that she wasn’t available when she was working a case. Nevertheless, he picked up his phone and called Annie at Torchwood.

“Would you tell Rose to call me back as soon as possible? I’ll be available until midnight,” he told the receptionist.

“Are you sure? I could put you through to one of the doctors if you’d like,” Annie offered.

Dave chewed the inside of his cheek. It was really just one Doctor he wanted to talk about, and he doubted that either Dominic or Donna knew anything about Rose’s Doctor. “I am, thank you, Annie.”

“I’ll leave her a note, then. Is everything all right, Dave? It isn’t Paul, is it?” Annie asked.

“No, he’s all right, thank you.”

Paul had recovered from the Illness very quickly, although he had been weak for a few weeks afterwards, he had joined him and the other three on the island of Mull after Dominic had released him from his aunt’s care. They had spent a few days exploring the island, and the fresh air and rest had helped him recover his strength for the rest of their exploration of Scotland’s beauty. Returning to Glasgow and to school a couple of days later had been quite a shock for all of them.

After he had tucked in Ewan and Paul as well, he settled in the parlour with Lucy. The hour he spent with her before she turned in had become his favourite time of day. They’d talk about many things together, some of them mundane, like plans for the weekend, others less so like her school orchestra’s plans to play in London at term break. But as they’d made a habit of these private conversations, they had learned to trust each other and to have some meaningful conversations. Dave felt he understood her much better now, and he hoped that the feeling was mutual. Lucy had opened up to him, and she’d become more balanced. She was a very thoughtful girl, and he’d started to appreciate her opinions and insights.

Sometimes they’d just sit in companionable silence, reading, working, or she’d practise the violin and he’d listen to her. He had to admit that ever since she’d returned from Edinburgh, her playing had improved a lot, and it seemed that her heart was in her music more than it had ever been. Dave loved sharing these quiet moments with her. It was during one of these that she had asked him if he’d show her Rita’s diaries.

“I think you’re not ready yet to read them,” Dave said. “God knows I’m not.” He ran his fingers through his hair. He wondered how much he should tell her about how the diaries had affected him.

“You’re saying I’m too young?” she asked.

“No. I’m saying you’re not ready for them yet. When I went through them in search of your father I found a few things that upset me. They were all things that made me worry when there really wasn’t any need to. I… for a few moments I thought things about Rita I’m very ashamed of,” he said.

“Oh.”

“I know you want to be close to her, but believe me that her diaries aren’t going to help,” he said.

“You think she… hated me at times?” Lucy asked.

Dave stared at her in shock. Had his face been so open? “No, of course not, love. What I’m saying is… she kept that diary to sort her feelings. She meant for it to be private, and I think we should honour that, even now that she’s gone.”

Lucy wrung her hands, massaging her long fingers. “Is it okay if I keep a diary myself?”

“Of course it is,” he said. “But I hope that you’ll talk to me or Anna—”

“Or Rose.”

His heart jumped. “Or Rose, if you feel lost and in need of advice. It’s only ever that, aye, advice, when we tell you what would be best to do.”

“Sometimes I wish you wouldn’t let me make my own mistakes,” Lucy said.

Dave sighed. “Oh Lucy. Growing up isn’t a science. I’ll always be there for you, and I’ll always try to help you, but in the end making decisions is up to you.”

Lucy rubbed the palm of her hand with her thumb with a strength that looked painful.

“Is there something you’d like to talk to me about now?” he asked.

Lucy shook her head.

“I’ll always be here for you, love. You don’t have to wait until our hour to talk, aye?”

“I like our hour. It’s the best time of day to talk. The wee ones are out of your hair then,” Lucy said, smiling. Dave’s heart warmed. After all that had happened, he still needed her reassurance that everything was good between them. But he had learned not to see the time she spent with the Quinlans as a threat.

Dave chuckled. “That they are. I love you, Lucy.”

“I know. I love you too. Dad.”

-:-

“How are you holding up?” Sarah asked. The timing of her call was impeccable; Lucy had just gone to bed.

“The pap shots?” he asked, cursing himself. He’d just suggested to her that there was more on his mind than the yellow press. Sarah knew him well enough to pick up on it; if she had, she didn’t let on. Yet. “Still angry, but I knew it had to happen one day. Robin and the Tyler lawyers are on it, though.”

“I’ll make it a point in class tomorrow to tell the children to let us know when there’s someone with a camera at the playground.”

“Thank you, Sarah.”

“I talked to Miss Harper about letting go of Evie’s hand this morning,” she continued.

“Oh, don’t worry about that. Evie claims she wasn’t scared because she had her mobile. I’m more concerned about Rose.”

“Why? What’s happened?” she asked. Dave shifted to sit cross-legged and settled the Emptiness Folder between his knees. He was staring at a shot of Rose in the mirror.

“She’ll be livid when she learns about the pap shot,” he said, losing heart at the last moment. “She’s so protective of the kids.”

“Quite right too,” Sarah said.

They chatted for a few more minutes until Sarah had to go. Dave was glad to ring off, because he had a feeling that sooner or later — sooner rather than later — Sarah would have made him spill the beans.

The Doctor was in this universe. Rose’s lost love wasn’t as lost as she’d thought. Crossing the void seems to have been easier for him than he’d said. Rose had risked her life to get back to her native universe, to the love of her life. He didn’t doubt that she’d be overjoyed at his return.

Did Rose know?

The question wouldn’t leave him alone for the rest of the evening. He’d been so excited about the Emptiness Folder, but now that the Doctor was apparently here he didn’t know if Rose would still be bothered about it.

His relationship with Rose was still budding. He doubted it was strong enough to survive a test like this. He snapped the folder shut. Emptiness indeed.

He knew that Rose loved him, but he had no idea if, given the chance, she’d choose him over the Doctor. Dave knew that, had he been asked three months ago if he’d have Rita back, he’d have said yes without even thinking twice. He loved Rita. But he loved Rose just as much. He missed Rita. He missed her every day. But he also loved Rose. He closed his eyes and rested his head against the back of the sofa. It was an impossible choice. He loved both women; he wasn’t sure what he’d do if he had to choose one over the other.

But there was no chance of Rita ever coming back, was there? She was dead. Whereas the Doctor was alive and well. Rose had tried to find her way back to him, but when the Dimension Cannon had failed she’d given up — and fallen in love with him. Because he looked like the Doctor.

A long coat, trainers, a pin-striped suit. Glasses and messy hair. If Evie’s memory could be trusted — and it usually could — that was who he had to live up to. An alien who looked like him and who had time and space at his fingertips. He’d stolen Rose’s heart once before. Really, what chance did he stand against him?

The emptiness would be quite a different one. It was more like the empty rooms, and he’d replace the toy car and teddy bear with two empty wine glasses, a mask maybe.

It was close to eleven when his mobile chirped with the ring tone he’d chosen for Rose.

“Hey,” he said.

“I’m sorry it’s so late. I’ve just returned to the Priory and Annie’s given me your message,” Rose said. “Is everything all right?”

Dave was silent for a while. No, everything wasn’t all right, but this wasn’t something you’d discuss over the phone, particularly not if you were as angry as he was. “It’s just something I wanted to share with you, but it can wait.”

“I’m sorry about the pap shot, I really am. I’m horrified,” she said, and, going by her voice, he knew she meant it.

“Aye. It’s taken care of,” he said.

“It shouldn’t have happened.”

“No.”

“What is it you wanted to tell me, my love?” she asked.

“I miss you,” he said.

“I miss you too.”

“Did you have a tough case to work?”

“In a way, yes. But it’s taken care of for now, but I might need to do a lot of research. And Torchwood will commission you, if that’s all right.”

“I don’t want any personal favours just because—” he began.

“No, of course not. I know that. I want you to do it because you’re very good at what you do for a living, and this case needs tact and sensitivity.”

“Does it?” he asked flatly.

“Dave, what’s the matter?” she asked.

“If… It’s just been a weird kind of day,” Dave replied, hating himself for letting her off the hook so easily, but he really needed to talk about if face-to-face.

“You see, there’s this girl. She’s from Earth, but she’s from 1941, and somehow she’s ended up in the Here and Now. We need you to take her photo for the paperwork,” Rose explained.

“How did that happen?” Dave asked, perking up a little. That sounded intriguing. Depending on the girl’s age, she’d be well in her eighties or nineties by now if she’d stayed in her own time line. She’d be a granny with lots of grandchildren. She’d have a history of her own to fall back on.

“We don’t know yet,” Rose said. “It’s complicated. I’d love to tell you, Dave, because her case is upsetting, but I still have some paperwork to go through and make arrangements for her. Why don’t we meet for lunch tomorrow? At Tony’s?”

“I’d rather try that new place on Sauchiehall Street, if that’s all right with you. I’ve got a shoot in the neighbourhood there,” he replied. It was strange that she didn’t mention the Doctor at all. The girl displaced in time seemed to have taken up her whole day, and he could tell that Rose really cared about the girl. He was thrown. So what was this whole Doctor-business about?

“The German one? Zum Weidenhain?” she asked.

“Yeah, that one. Maybe Lottie will like it,” he said.

“Is she homesick?”

“No, but I think she would appreciate some food from home. Not that we’d be any good at judging if the food’s anywhere near the genuine thing,” he said. “Apart from schnitzel, of course.”

Rose laughed. “Yeah, you’re right. I’m looking forward to it. I miss you, Dave.”

“Do you?”

“Yes, of course I do. I love you.”

“Aye.”

“I’ll need to go to bed now. I’ve been awake for almost twenty hours. I’m ready to drop,” she said, and he could hear her suppressing a yawn.

“Take a cab, my love.”

“I’m not going home. I’m staying here at the Priory with Lily. The girl from 1941. I can’t leave her here by herself.”

Dave smiled. That was genuinely Rose, warm and caring, even at the expense of her own comfort. “I’m looking forward to seeing you tomorrow,” he said. She hadn’t sounded as if anything out of the ordinary — well, apart from that poor girl displaced in time — had happened. Also, he had a feeling that Rose would have told him if the Doctor had returned. He’d be able to hear it. But her voice had sounded normal; tired and compassionate for the poor girl. Maybe he had overreacted. Maybe it hadn’t been the Doctor after all.

But it was unlikely, wasn’t it? Evie wouldn’t make such a story up.

“Me too. I miss you, my love,” Rose said before she hung up.

When Dave went to bed shortly afterwards he had a hard time falling asleep. His mind reeled as he tried to make sense of the events of the day, including whether or not Rose believed him when he’d just said that he missed her.

The Doctor.

The _Emptiness Folder_.

They followed him into his dreams, and when he woke in the morning he felt as if he’d drained a bottle of wine all by himself.


	4. Three

Three

Rose had just put away her glass when she heard one of the doors open and she could hear Lily’s light footfall on the floorboards in the hall.

“Rose?” the girl asked. She was wearing the nightgown and a green cardigan she’d had in her suitcase, and she’d washed and plaited her thick brown hair.

“Hey,” Rose said. “Are you having trouble going to sleep?”

“Yes,” she said.

“Would you like to chat for a while?”

Lily nodded and Rose gestured for her to sit on the sofa in the lounge. The girl sat very primly at first, but when she saw Rose curl up in one corner, she drew up her legs as well and tucked them under for warmth. Lily was a beautiful young girl, with keen, dark eyes and what she supposed a lovely smile. So far, she hadn’t seen her smile, and Rose wasn’t surprised by that. Lily had been displaced seventy years in time, from the War to the twenty-first century. Rose had yet to catch up on a lot of this universe’s history, but she knew that Glasgow was one of the cities that had suffered most from the German air raids. She had ordered a few books on the War from the local library when she’d had a minute to spare; she could have had them sent up from Torchwood Library in London, but she wanted to start her research as soon as possible.

“I have so many questions, and I’m afraid that the more answers I get the more questions I’ll have,” Lily said, wringing her hands. “I’m not used to the quiet any more.”

“That can be unsettling,” Rose said. She’d been unable to sleep for quite a while after her arrival in this universe. She had missed the soothing sounds of the TARDIS. But then again, the TARDIS had been so much more than just a background noise to her. The ship had been a presence in her mind, a consciousness rather than just a handy translation device. Without it, Rose had felt hollow, which of course had also had to do with the fact that she’d just lost the love of her life and her home.

“I can’t believe that the War is over,” she said.

Rose smiled sympathetically. “It has been for a while.”

“People kept saying it would be over by Christmas. 1939,” Lily said. The War had lasted longer here than in Rose’s universe. The Nazis weren’t defeated until 1946, that much Rose knew. She wasn’t sure how much she could tell Lily. If they found her a way back her anachronistic knowledge might well change the world. If the Doctor were here he could tell her if her knowledge would affect the time lines in any way. It was a tricky situation. Lily did have questions, and Rose didn’t want to just dismiss them out of hand for fear of the time line. She deserved some answers, but it had to be handled carefully because she also didn’t want to have to resort to RetCon if they managed to find a way back for her. Rose found it highly unethical. Stealing someone’s memories was like killing part of their personality. No one had the right to make that kind of decision, not even if it was for the Greater Good.

“The War lasted a lot longer, didn’t it?” Lily asked.

“I’m afraid so,” Rose said.

“But we obviously won,” Lily said. “From what I’ve seen of 2010 it doesn’t look like the Nazis took over. Well, at least not Scotland. I’m glad the Priory survived.”

“You remember it?” Rose asked in surprise.

“Of course. My friends and I used to explore it when no one was looking,” she said. “I remember a beautifully painted chamber. I loved that room. It was like an indoor garden.”

Rose laughed. She remembered finding Dave there. “I can show you that room. We haven’t changed all of the Priory. Yet.”

“Will you change it?”

“No. It’s… special, that room,” Rose said. “Well, you’re right. The Nazis were defeated in the end.”

“You can’t tell me much about that, can you?” Lily asked. “I understand that.”

“I’d love to tell you everything, Lily,” Rose said.

“So you really think I’ll be able to go back home?”

Rose nodded. “We hope so. We just don’t know enough about the Rift yet.” They had explained the Rift to her, that it was a tear in the fabric of Space and Time.

“And you have no idea how long it will be to find a way back,” Lily said.

Rose nodded.

“The thing is, the longer it takes the more I’ll learn about this century,” she said.

“Are you telling me that you might not want to go back?” Rose asked, shocked. It was a huge step to take, and Rose wasn’t sure that Lily was emotionally stable enough to make such a decision. Learning of your own death was a massive blow, and she’d felt like a non-person for a very long time. The feeling was responsible for her recklessness regarding the Dimension Cannon.

“That depends on how much I find out about my past,” Lily said. “If there is one.”

Rose sighed, but Lily was right. From what she’d told the team that morning it seemed as if Lily wouldn’t have survived the air raid if it hadn’t been for the Rift. But there was no way for them to know, not until they’d done some extensive research. And it wasn’t just as simple as that. They needed to explore the Rift and why Lily had been sucked through it. If it was a recurring phenomenon they might find themselves overrun by people from the past and, possibly, the future.

Lily sighed, rubbing her eyes. “You’re right, of course. It’s just so overwhelming.”

“Why don’t you try to sleep? You must be exhausted if you haven’t slept since last night,” Rose said. With seventy years passing in between last night and this night, Rose added in her thoughts.

Lily smiled. “Yes, I think I might.”

“I’m just down the corridor if you need anything,” Rose said.

“Thank you,” Lily said.

As they both stood, Rose hugged Lily. The girl went stiff for a moment, but then she returned the gesture. She was obviously not used to displays of affection like this. Rose walked her to her room, which was on the way to the room she and Dave had shared in the summer. “Good night.”

“Be safe,” Lily said, biting her lip and chuckling. “I’m sorry. It’s what we... used to say.”

Rose smiled. “See you in the morning.”

As Rose settled down, her mind went back to the phone conversation she’d had with Dave. He’d sounded distracted and worried. He’d clearly had something he wanted to share, but he’d decided to keep it to himself; he’d been strangely withdrawn, and he’d only perked up a little when she’d told him she’d be staying at the Priory with Lily. He’d almost sounded jealous.

“Oh Dave,” she murmured to herself as she switched off the light. They’d have to talk about what was bothering him at lunch. Truth be told, she also wanted his opinion on what to do with Lily. They had a lot of work ahead of them to figure out what had displaced Lily in Time, and why it had been only her. They’d need to do a lot of research to reconstruct the events of 1941, which was tricky because some of the information was bound to have been lost in air raids or in other catastrophic events. Also, Lily’s account probably wasn’t very reliable because she’d been so distressed at the time.

Hang on.

Rose sat up straight in her bed.

Hadn’t Lily said something about 1939? That they’d all thought the war would be over by Christmas that year? As far as she knew, the War had started two years earlier in this universe. Rose turned on the light again and reached for her mobile on the bedside table. She brought up the Internet app to search for the information she needed. And really, the War had raged from 1937 to 1946.

Rose dropped her mobile onto the duvet.

Lily was from her original universe, not from this one.

-:-

“Well, that’s…” Mickey said when she told them the next morning.

“Complicating things?” Dominic suggested. He’d been on call when they’d been alerted by the local police to pick up Lily, so he was officially on the case. He’d given her vitamin supplements and a sip of whisky for the shock when no one had been looking.

“Interesting?” Mickey suggested.

“I don’t know what to think,” Rose said, finishing her third mug of coffee that morning. After she’d made the connection the previous night she’d thought she’d be unable to sleep, but she’d eventually dozed off. When she woke in the morning she felt as if she’d drained a bottle of wine all by herself.

“Well, the good news is that we won’t have to be afraid of spoilers,” Mickey said. “We can do some research on this universe’s Lily Innes if there is one. But we’ll never know if her fate is anything like our Lily’s.”

“To say nothing of the fact that we’ll have to find a way to send her back to your universe,” Dominic said, “which, if I remember correctly, is a tad difficult.”

“Where is she going to stay in the meantime?” Jake asked. “As nice as the guest quarters are, I don’t think it’s the right place for her to stay.”

“Thank you,” Rose said. She was grateful for Jake’s pragmatic approach.

“Does she know she’s not in her original universe any more?” Mickey asked.

“No,” Rose said. “I wanted to discuss things with you first.”

“I think she should stay with one of us, but not anyone who’s working on her case,” Jake mused.

“That leaves Donna,” Mickey said. He didn’t want to burden Rose with yet another child to look after. “If anyone, I trust her to look after Lily.”

“But she’ll be away at the hospital most of the time,” Dominic pointed out.

“Well, I think something can be arranged,” Rose said. “We don’t want her to stop working at all, but maybe it’d be possible for her not to work late or long hours.”

“I’ll talk to her,” Dominic said. He was glad to be able to make himself useful. This case wasn’t about a medical mystery so it left him with little to do. Torchwood regulations required at least one doctor on duty at all times in case there was an emergency.

“Good,” Mickey said. “Now that that’s done, let’s see what we can find out about the Event itself. I’ve got the CCTV footage. It’s too bad we can’t access records from her side.”

“We also need to evaluate Rift Readings,” Rose said, turning towards Tom Crawley, who had been following the conversation quietly. He didn’t speak much, but when he did he was always spot on. No one knew computers or how to monitor Rift Activity better than he, which had landed him the job back when they’d started experimenting with the Dimension Cannon. He was one of the people who had moved from London to Glasgow in August.

“I’m on it,” Tom said. He scribbled something down on his notepad. It was amazing, Rose thought, that he of all people was using a pen and paper to take notes rather than a tablet computer, but then he loved to doodle. It helped him concentrate, and he’d proved more than once that he was right.

“I’m afraid it’s all we can do at the moment,” Rose said. “I wish I’d paid more attention in History class.”

“Don’t we all, babe,” Mickey said.

“I ordered some books on this universe’s War yesterday, but now we know they won’t help much,” she said.

“But we can try to find out if there is, or was, a Lily Innes in this universe, just to avoid any awkward situations,” Dominic suggested.

“Would you do that?” she asked.

“Gladly,” he smiled. “So, if Lily is from your universe, does that mean that we might have found a crack in the wall, a way for her — and you — to return?”

“I can’t tell yet,” Tom said, “but it looks like it.”

Rose leaned back in her chair. She’d been wondering about this, but she hadn’t dared ask the question, afraid of all the other questions that would follow in its wake.

-:-

Donna agreed to adopt Lily for the time being. She was surprised by her story, and she said yes without hesitating. Since she worked for Torchwood, making the time to look after Lily wasn’t much of a problem although it left some people grumbling. She came to pick Lily up shortly before lunch to take her to her place.

Lily seemed a bit reluctant to leave the familiar surroundings of the Priory, and Rose hated to send her away, but they had no idea how long she would have to stay here and they might as well offer her a home away from home rather than the impersonal guest room. But Rose suspected that Lily was also reluctant to leave because they had bonded during their late night talk.

“Don’t worry, Lily,” Rose said, “you’ll probably be here most of the time, but sometimes it’s a good idea to get away from it all.”

She nodded, but her knuckles were white as she clutched the handle of her suitcase. It held all the belongings she’d packed to take into the shelter as the siren had gone off. What had happened then they had yet to find out, but Dominic reckoned that giving her a bit of space would help her memory along.

“I’ll see you in the afternoon. We’ll need to have your picture taken for the paperwork,” Rose said as Lily climbed awkwardly into Donna’s car.

“Is that necessary? Will I be here that long?” she asked, her eyes going wide.

Rose bit her lip.

“It’s just for our files, and we’ll have yet to find out if it’s actually possible for you to stay,” Donna said, exchanging glances with Rose.

“Have you found anything about me?” Lily asked.

“It’s a bit complicated,” Rose said. The last thing she wanted to do was to explain about parallel universes in the courtyard of the Priory, with Lily about to leave.

“Why?”

Rose sighed. “I promise I’ll explain everything to you this afternoon. I’ll have to go back to work now to do some research so I’ll be able to give you as much information as possible.”

Lily didn’t reply at once but eventually she nodded. Rose closed the passenger door and waved them off as Donna pulled out of the drive. Maybe it was a bit soon for Lily to leave the peace and quiet of the Priory, but she’d have to get out there sooner or later, and the shock would always be pretty much the same. Donna was to take her home after they’d bought her the essentials she’d need; the items in her suitcase were the very basics, like a comb, toothbrush and a bar of soap and a fresh set of clothes and underwear.

When Rose returned to her office, Dominic was already waiting for her. He closed the door and sat her down on the sofa.

“So.”

Rose exhaled and slumped as the tension left her body.

“You might be able to leave after all,” he said.

“We don’t know that yet,” Rose said, brushing back a lock of her hair. “Also, I’m not sure I’d actually go back. My life’s here now. My family’s here. Dave is here.”

Dominic looked at her for a while, but when she didn’t offer anything more, he drew up notes on his tablet computer to show her what he’d found out about the Lily Innes of this universe. Rose was grateful for his discretion; she needed a quiet moment to go through all the ramifications of a possible return. But that was personal. She mustn’t forget about the dangers of a Crack in the Wall. Who knew what or who else would find their way through it, by accident or — worse — by design. If the Crack wasn’t the result of someone trying to get through to begin with. But who would try something like that?

“Shoot,” Rose said.

“Well, she died in an air raid in 1941. It was one of the worst bomb nights Glasgow had seen. More than five thousand people died that night,” he said. “There are two other Lily Inneses, both of them younger — one was born in 1956 and the other one in 1982 — but they are no relation. Innes is a pretty common name, so if we really need to give her an identity I don’t see a reason why we couldn’t,” he said.

“What about her family? She was born when? 1925?” Rose asked.

Dominic checked his file. “She was an only child, and her parents didn’t have any more children after they’d lost her. They both died within a year of each other in the eighties.”

“That’s good to know. It’d be weird for her to go and see her octogenarian sibling. We couldn’t possibly deny her that,” Rose mused.

“If, indeed, she were from this universe,” he said.

“Yes. I’ll interview her this afternoon, after Dave has taken her photo,” Rose said. “I’ll try to find out as much about her as possible. God, I wish I knew more about the Second World War.”

“There was a First World War in your universe?” Dominic asked.

“Yeah, from 1914 to 1918 — I’m glad I remember that,” she said. “The Second World War was shorter than the War here, that’s how I know she isn’t a local lass,” Rose said, trying to put on a Scottish accent. She laughed when she saw Dominic’s pained expression. “I’m sorry.”

“There, I like you much better when you’re smiling, Rose,” he said, grinning. “I know this is a difficult case for you to work. Are you sure you’re up to it?”

Rose closed her eyes. It was frightening how well he already knew her. Trust him to ask the really tricky questions. “I am, for now, but I… I’m not sure.” She sighed. “I’ll need to talk to Dave about this.”

Dominic furrowed his brow.

“I need to make sure that he understands what’s going on,” Rose said. It was against Torchwood policy to share information on current cases even with family members, but since this case affected her so much already she needed Dave’s support. She also wanted to reassure him that she wasn’t going to leave him and the children.

“Do you think that’s wise?” Dominic asked. “He’ll be going through hell, wondering if you won’t change your mind after all.”

“I won’t,” Rose insisted.

“You don’t know that.”

She glared at him. He knew her well, but he didn’t know her that well. Her life was here now. There was nothing left for her in original universe.

Well.

Nothing apart from a Time Lord who had burnt up a sun just to be able to say goodbye. But even then he hadn’t been able to tell her what was most important.

Dominic looked at her, his eyebrows raised.

“I won’t.”

He nodded, stood and left.

Rose stared at her hands. The Doctor might be a reason for her to return, but he would have moved on, like he always had, of that she was sure. He had lost so many companions before her, companions he had loved, like Sarah Jane, and some after her — hopefully not too many; there was only so much loss her Troubled Time Lord would be able to cope with. He needed company, but more than that he needed someone’s moral compass to rely on apart from his own. He needed someone to stop him. He had scared her, particularly when the Oncoming Storm would turn his dark eyes bottomless and cold.

Rose shivered.


	5. Four

Four

The restaurant where she and Dave were going to meet was on the western end of Sauchiehall Street, very close to the School of Art and Dave’s studio. It was convenient in that they wouldn’t have to rush back to the studio for Lily’s appointment. It was a gorgeous day and Rose was a bit early so she decided to sit on the bench outside the restaurant and watch people. The beauty of this idea was that passersby hardly ever paid any attention to people sitting on the benches because they were the ones being watched, not the other way round. So really, hiding out in the open worked beautifully if Rose wanted to remain undetected.

She broke into a wide smile when she saw Dave hurry towards the restaurant, his hands buried in his coat pockets, his head down. He seemed lost in thought. The light breeze was playing in his hair and the sun had brought out the freckles on his face. They had spent most of the summer outdoors, he taking photos for The Heritage Trust Fund and then hiking with his family and her.

Rose gave up her hiding place and stood to step towards him, startling him a little.

“Hello, my love,” she said.

“Rose!” he exhaled. He wrapped his arms around her and drew her close. She had expected a kiss, but not a powerful reaction such as this.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” she asked.

“I… Something has come up that I need to discuss with you in private. Would you mind terribly if we just got a pizza or some sandwiches and had a picnic at the studio?” he asked. The words came out in a rush, as if he’d practised them for a long while.

Rose’s heart sank. “Let’s do that.”

“I have a little garden out back,” he said. “We could sit and enjoy the sunshine.”

“It’s all right, Dave!” she said, bemused. “I’m fine with a small lunch, really.”

“Sandwiches? There’s a nice shop just around the corner,” he suggested.

“Yeah, fine,” she said. They linked arms and Rose pressed herself up against his side as they walked. “What happened?”

“Nothing, but I’m worried,” he said. “It’s something Evie told me.”

Rose was alarmed at once. “She’s all right, isn’t she? Please tell me she’s all right.” She had become very protective of the bairns.

Dave stopped to finally kiss her hello. “Yes, she is. She had a bit of an adventure yesterday, but she’s all right. I’ll tell you at the studio.”

They picked up their sandwiches at a small shop tucked away in a backyard. Rose was sure she’d have missed it if Dave hadn’t taken her there. Giselle, the owner, greeted him with a wide smile and the question if he wanted the usual. She momentarily lost her train of thought when she recognised Rose, but the young woman recovered quickly and gave Rose a warm smile. “And what would you like, ma’am?”

“Not ma’am,” Rose said. “Rose. I’d like a whole wheat bun with lettuce, tomatoes and chicken salad please. And a bottle of water and an espresso, if you have one.”

“No millionaire shortbread?” Dave teased.

Rose’s eyes lit up. “And that, please.”

Dave leaned in closely. “Giselle’s shortbread is the best.”

“Coming right up, love,” Giselle said, winking at Dave. She set to work putting together Rose’s order first before preparing a BLT for Dave and picking a large tub of fruit salad from the fridge. “It’s a shame the paps are so disrespectful. I feel ashamed on their behalf,” Giselle said.

“It was a nice shot, though,” Rose said.

Dave looked at her, scandalised. “It was, from an objective point of view. Some of them are good at what they do. Which doesn’t make it any less illegal, of course,” she explained.

“How do the bairns cope?” Giselle asked.

Rose looked at him.

“Surprisingly well. It’s very new for them, but luckily they haven’t had any trouble at school because of it.”

Rose bit her lip and stared at the tips of her ballerina shoes. She hadn’t even asked Dave that, and she felt ashamed.

“It’s a fine school, with decent children and teachers,” Giselle said.

“Aye, that it is. Thank you, Giselle,” he said, paying for their lunch and accepting the bag from her. “See you.”

“I’m sorry,” Rose said once they had left the shop.

“What for?”

“I didn’t even ask how the bairns are,” she said.

“Well,” he said.

“There’s something I need to tell you. About our latest case,” Rose said, and a decision was taking shape in her mind.

Dave took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “Aye.”

They finished their journey in companionable silence. At the studio Dave led Rose through a narrow passage that had so far escaped her attention. They ended up in a patio. It was a wooden deck and the wooden deck furniture had turned a silvery grey. Most of all, however, Rose was very surprised by Dave’s little garden. He hadn’t mentioned it before, but it was lush and walled in and she could imagine him taking some beautiful shots there. Glancing around she saw that it was also very secluded – there were no windows from neighbouring buildings looking out over it.

Dave brought out plates, glasses and napkins for their lunch. The patio was well protected from the wind and Rose had to take her jacket off because she got so warm sitting in the sun.

“We have a guest,” Rose said after she’d taken a few bites of her sandwich. Giselle had been generous with all the toppings she’d asked for, and she was glad that Dave had brought some napkins because some of the salad inadvertently dribbled down her chin as she took a bite. She continued to tell Dave Lily’s story, keeping the most vital bit on information for last. “She’s not only from 1941. She’s from 1941 in my universe.”

“Ah,” Dave said. “Is it much different from my 1941?”

“Well,” Rose began, going on to give him the history lesson Dominic had enjoyed the previous day.

“I see.”

“She’s a lovely girl; you’ll like her,” Rose said. She knew it wasn’t so much about Dave liking or disliking her. He was a kind man, and very professional. He’d make Lily feel at home, there was no doubt about that, but they both knew the implications of her presence without spelling it out.

“You know, the funny thing is,” he said, “Evie saw the Doctor yesterday.”

Rose sat in stunned silence. Her heart was pounding, processing the information far more quickly than her brain did. “Who?”

“The Doctor. She showed me a drawing of him. And she told me he called himself the Doctor. Just the Doctor,” Dave said.

“I…” Rose began. The Doctor had come through the Crack in the Wall too? How had she missed that? Had it been an accident? Or had he found a way of getting back to her? Her thoughts were reeling.

“You didn’t know he was here?” Dave asked.

“No, I… I didn’t.” She was silent for a while. Well, speechless really. The Doctor was here and he hadn’t come to find her? Maybe the Dimension Cannon had left traces after all and that was how he knew she had been looking for him. But since time passed quicker here than in her original universe months had passed for her whereas it must have been only a matter of weeks to him. These few months, the near-death experience and falling in love with Dave, had changed her. It wasn’t so easy now to leave. It was an impossible choice.

“I’m sorry,” Dave said.

Rose dropped her sandwich onto her plate. “Was it really him?”

“Evie insisted that that was his name. She mistook him for me. And she drew a picture of him.”

“Oh.” Evie was a talented artist.

“He does look like me, doesn’t he?” Dave needed the certainty as much as she.

Rose nodded.

“She drew him in a brown coat, in a pinstriped suit and trainers. His hair is a bit on the wild side, though,” he said.

“Well, it is,” Rose said, smiling at the memory of his hair between her fingers. “It’s… there’s something about Time Lord hair. Where did she meet him?”

“Miss Harper, the teaching assistant, let go of her hand on the way to the museum yesterday. Of course, Evie can’t remember anything but the pretty lions she saw on the way. It must be somewhere on Queen Street; they were on their way to the Egyptian show at the Museum of Mankind,” he explained.

“I had no idea,” she said in bewilderment. She looked at Dave. He seemed as dazed as she was. He was scared of the Doctor, and she couldn’t fault him.

Dave stared at her. “You really didn’t, did you.”

She shook her head. “Is that why you were so upset last night?”

“Is it so outlandish to be intimidated by him? By the man you said was the love of your life before you met me?” he asked softly. He, too, had stopped eating.

“You have nothing to be afraid of,” Rose said. “I love you.”

“You do?” he asked.

She nodded, smiling.

“I love you too.” He reached for her hand across the small table and gave it a squeeze.

“I was wondering whether to withdraw from this case,” Rose said. “And I think it’s the right thing to do. Considering what you’ve just told me.”

“Well, but the Doctor hasn’t appeared yet, has he?”

“No, he hasn’t. Still.”

“You’ll do the right thing, Rose. Just listen to your heart,” Dave said.

Rose smiled shakily. The faith Dave had in her took her breath away. Then she realised that he was prepared to let her go if it meant she would be happy. He wouldn’t fight for her, as much as he might want to; as much as it might break his heart. He couldn’t. His children needed him and he would ignore his own heartache to make sure that they were safe.

“Dave,” she began.

He looked up at her, his dark eyes begging her not to say anything.

Rose knew then that she could not leave him. It wasn’t because she would feel guilty if she did. She wouldn’t leave him because he had saved her life in more than the literal way. She loved him so much that she couldn’t imagine her life without him any more. Her forever with the Doctor had been short. Her forever with Dave wouldn’t be.

She reached out for his hand and gave his fingers a squeeze. They ate in silence for a while. “What was it you wanted to talk to me about?” she asked eventually.

“That was it. And there’s something else, but I’d rather tell you tomorrow,” he said.

“Why tomorrow?”

“It’s Wednesday, and I’d like to spoil you a little, my love,” he said. “If that’s all right.”

Rose smiled. “What did you have in mind?”

“I’d like to cook for you. It’d have to be at yours, though,” he said. “If you’re ready to entrust me with your kitchen.”

“You’re going to cook for me?” she asked, running her thumb over the back if his hand.

He shrugged. “Yes.”

“I’d love that. Thank you,” she said.

“Don’t count your chickens just yet,” he said.

“No, but I know that you’re a good cook. Besides, no one has ever offered to cook for me before.”

“Is that so?” he asked, his voice a little squeaky as he realised just what a treat Rose considered his idea.

“Yes,” she said, picking up her millionaire shortbread. She bit into it and was in heaven. He’d been right. Giselle’s shortbread was the best she’d ever tasted. “Would you like me to leave you alone? Tomorrow, I mean?”

He grinned. “I’d hoped you’d say that. I’d very much like that.”

Rose smiled. She reached into a pocket inside her handbag and found the bunch of extra keys she’d been carrying around, to give to Dave when the moment was right. She had bought a letter D key ring for it, wondering if an R wouldn’t be better, seeing as it was the key to her house, but they’d be his keys, so in the end a D it had been. “Here, you might want to take these,” she said, placing the keys in his hand.

He closed his fingers around them with a surprised expression. “Are these what I think they are?”

Rose nodded, her chest constricting a bit as she saw how much her gift affected him. “Is that all right?”

“You… you trust me with your house keys?”

“I trust you with my heart,” Rose said. “So why not my house?”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“Thank you is customary, I believe. And a kiss,” she said, tapping her cheek. Dave stood, pocketing the key to bend and give her a proper kiss, not just a peck on the cheek.

“Thank you, my love,” he said, his eyes mellow and gentle as they separated.

“It’s my pleasure. When may I be back tomorrow night?” she asked. “Although I’d hoped we’d spend the afternoon together.”

Dave’s face fell. “But we can. I’ll pick up the food in the morning so we can spend part of the afternoon together. And you don’t really need to leave the house. How presumptuous of me.”

Rose laughed. “I’ll just stay in bed then.”

“Oh.”

“I miss you, Dave, and I want to make love so badly.”

He flushed a lovely shade of red. “So do I.” He kissed her again. “I wish I could just… take you here and now.”

Now it was her turn to flush, and it pooled warmly and wetly low in her abdomen and between her legs. “Is there… time? Do we have time?”

Dave hung his head. Then he checked his watch. “No, I’m afraid not.”

Rose shook her head. “This isn’t very erotic.”

He laughed. “No, it’s not. But tell you what.” He leaned in to whisper in her ear. His breath was warm and tickled her ear and the skin on her neck, but it was what he said that made her flush and shiver. “It’ll be all the more intense tomorrow. I’m going to take my time with my mouth between your legs.” He kissed her cheek and rocked back on his heels.

“You terribly wonderful man,” Rose gasped, leaning in for another kiss. Somehow, they ended up with Rose sitting in Dave’s lap on a bench against the sun-drenched wall, kissing and caressing each other. Rose had managed to sneak her hand underneath his jumper and vest and was stroking his stomach with the back of her fingers, dragging her fingertips along the edge of his denims. He pushed himself into her and she could feel the hard ridge of his erection growing beneath her touch.

“Rose,” he gasped. “Please.”

Rose slid off his lap and knelt in front of him. With a few deft flicks she had undone the fastenings of his jeans and was reaching inside. He only needed a few strokes, and when she knew he was close she closed her lips over the head of him. His fingers were in her hair and he pushed himself towards her, still restraining himself. Rose knew that he was going to come hard; he always did in situations like this. She cupped his balls gently and after a few caresses he exploded in her mouth. He came with a moan and his body went rigid as he held himself still. Then he slumped, spent, back onto the bench.

He looked so beautiful when he came. There was something about his face, the vulnerability and abandon, that touched something deep inside her, something more substantial than the mere knowledge that she’d done something for him he enjoyed and that she had the power to reduce him to this. It seemed like a gift, every time, that he would give himself up to her so completely.

“Rose,” he panted, smiling, reaching for her cheek.

“Dave.” Letting go of him, she wiped her mouth daintily and took a swig of water to wash his taste down. She watched him make himself presentable. Curiously enough, it was one of the more sensual things she’d ever seen him do.

“What was that all about?” he asked. “Not that I’m not grateful.”

“I enjoyed it,” Rose said blithely. “I love seeing you so... relaxed.”

“You’re amazing, Rose.”

She sat next to him and he draped his arm around her, kissing her deeply.

They sat like this for a while, enjoying the sunshine and their respective desserts. Eventually, Rose asked for another coffee and they cleaned up after themselves and went inside. Dave had just made each of them a cup of coffee when the door bell went.

“That must be Donna and Lily,” Rose said.

“1941, right? I’ll have to be quite the gentleman,” Dave said. His nervousness was adorable.

“Just be yourself. You’re always quite the gentleman.”

“Do they accept amazing blowjobs from their lovers? In the patio, no less?”

“They do,” Rose grinned. “There aren’t any peeping toms, are there? Paps?”

Dave looked horrified for a moment. It was a terrible joke, and Rose bit her lip. She mouthed sorry.

The door bell chimed again.

“That wasn’t funny,” he said.

“No, it wasn’t. I’m sorry.”

Dave gave her a chaste kiss as he accepted her apology. Rose smiled and gestured for him to open the door. It was sweet how beside himself he still was, but she also knew him well enough to know that neither Donna nor Lily would suspect anything once he’d let them in.

“What kind of photos did you have in mind?” Dave asked as they settled on the cheap red sofas, each of them with a cup of coffee. Lily cradled her mug carefully. Coffee had become a luxury item to her, of course. Rose cursed herself again for her ignorance on life during the Second World War. No one would expect her to know so much, that she knew, but she still felt stupid for it, particularly since they had studied the period, extensively, in class. If only she could have been bothered more at the time.

“I’m not sure,” Rose said.

“How are you settling in?” he asked, turning towards Lily.

“It’s a bit much, but everyone’s so nice,” she said. She had pushed back the sides of her hair with a pair of combs in the style she was used to, and it didn’t look out of place in combination with her modern clothes. Donna had taken her shopping, and Rose was glad that there was a bit of a 1940s fashion revival at the moment.

“I’m sure Rose and her team will have you back home in no time,” Dave said.

“I think we need a few mug shots for her passport and other official paperwork,” Rose said.

“A passport!” Lily gasped.

“You might not need it, but we’d like you to be prepared,” Rose said. “Don’t worry, just because we have one made for you doesn’t mean that you’re leaving the country. It just makes dealing with red tape easier.”

Lily nodded. Rose realised that the poor girl had no choice but to trust them.

“They helped my son when he was very ill this summer,” Dave said. “If you can trust anyone, it’s them.”

Rose looked up in surprise. She knew that Dave had overcome his doubts when it came to the new version of Torchwood, but that his trust should be that unconditional was overwhelming. She knew him well enough to be sure that he meant what he’d said. Lily seemed to see the same in his eyes.

“This is so good,” Lily said, sipping her coffee.

Dave smiled. “I’ve got a bit of compact in the bathroom. Forgive me for saying this, but your nose is a bit shiny.”

“Oh.”

“I’ll help you,” Rose offered, wanting to spare her the possible embarrassment of having to ask for help. She guided the girl into the bathroom with her. She made Lily sit on the stool in front of the mirror. The gentle light in the room brought out a light dusting of freckles on her face. Her nose and forehead were a bit shiny, and Rose picked up the brush to lightly dust the areas without covering up too much of Lily’s perfect skin.

“You have a gorgeous complexion,” Rose said.

Lily shifted on the stool. It was obvious she wasn’t used to that kind of attention, and it was little wonder.

“How long have the raids been going on?” Rose asked.

“About two weeks,” Lily said. “But it’s scary enough.”

Rose nodded, unsure of what to say next.

“I was on my way to a shelter when… well…” Lily looked at her, lost for words.

“When you were displaced in time.”

Lily nodded.

“We’ll do everything to get you back. I promise,” Rose said. “Are you getting along with Donna?”

“Oh yes,” Lily said, smiling. “She’s very nice. She’s so… modern and… unconventional about some things. But I suppose that is because this is the twenty-first century. I wonder if I could read up on some of the events that happened since the war?”

Sighing, Rose pulled out the second stool from beneath the counter. “It’s not as easy as that, I’m afraid.”

“What? Why? I don’t understand.”

“You see,” Rose said, taking her hand. “You weren’t only displaced in time, but in space as well.”


	6. Five

Five

That morning, Rose had thought she’d be unable to concentrate on the day ahead. Dave’s promise of dinner and sex had left her in a state of nervous anticipation. For some reason, his promise was particularly special, but Rose couldn’t say why that was. They had spent the whole summer together, and once they had returned from their trip around Scotland, they had resumed their Wednesday and Sunday meetings. They spent a lot more time together, now that the bairns knew, but Wednesdays and Sundays were still special because they’d be at her place or in a hotel to eat and make love and get away from the world together. It was easier to do so now, too, because there was no sneaking away any more, no fear of being interrupted — except, of course, for an emergency.

After a light lunch with Dominic and Mickey she excused herself to go home. The journey from Muirbank to her place seemed to take forever. She wondered what Dave might be up to. The mere memory of his whispered words sent a frisson of excitement straight to her core. She breathed a sigh of relief when she finally pulled into her drive. There was, however, no sign of the red Volvo or the bike.

Rose checked her messages, but her mailbox was empty. Maybe Dave hadn’t thought she’d be home so early. She hurried to the bedroom to take a shower and change. As the hot water cascaded down on her she realised how tired she was. It had been well after midnight when she’d finally stumbled into bed, and of course the alarm clock had gone off far too early. Yawning, she wrapped herself in her robe and left the en-suite.

It certainly couldn’t hurt to lie down and read a bit until Dave came. She settled on her chaise longue with a book she’d been meaning to read for quite a while. She only managed a few pages, though, before she felt herself nodding off.

In her dream she saw Dave sitting opposite her, his expression startled. When she looked at her hands, she saw that she was holding a camera, ready to take his picture.

“Please don’t,” he said, averting his face. He looked strangely grief-stricken, and Rose put the camera down.

“It’s all right, my love,” she murmured, reaching out for him to caress the back of his neck, drawing her fingers through his short hair. Then she trailed her fingers along the bumps of his spine and along the collar of his grey jumper. She smiled as he shivered and sighed her name.

“Rose.”

She smiled and snuggled down in her oversized fluffy robe, drawing her feet up as they’d gotten a bit cold. It had been such a lovely dream and she tried to hold on to it for a few moments longer.

The floorboards creaked and her eyes flew open.

“Hey,” Dave said, picking up the book — it must have slipped from between her fingers as she’d dozed off — and put it on the table next to her.

“Hey,” she said, taking his hand. Her gaze settled on his bare thigh. “You’re…” she cleared her throat, “you’re naked. Almost.”

“That I am,” he said, smiling, following her eyes where they rested on the towel he’d wrapped around his hips.

“I wanted to do that,” she pouted.

“Wanted to do what?” he asked.

“Take your clothes off.”

“I’d hoped to do the same to you, but I seem to have missed my chance,” he said, smiling.

“What time is it? Have you been waiting long?” she asked, sitting up and scooting backwards to sit comfortably and to make room for him. He sat.

“I’ve just had time to take a shower,” he said. “You were so deeply asleep you didn’t even hear me.”

“I had a late night,” Rose said.

“Well, I’m glad you caught up with your sleep now,” he said.

“You smell divine,” Rose said, reaching out to trail her fingers over his damp chest. He shivered involuntarily at her touch. “Are you cold?”

“No, I’m not cold, Rose,” he said. He stood and loosened the towel. He was growing hard, and his cock was at a perfect level with her mouth. Rose slid her hand up his thigh and looked at him. He covered it with his hand and wrapped his fingers around hers. “Come to bed with me?”

Rose stood, accepting Dave’s help as he pulled her to her feet. The sash of her robe came undone in the process and the robe fell open. It was amazing how wide his big eyes went at the sight of her. Rose reached for the lapels to take the robe off, but Dave stopped her.

“Please don’t take it off,” he said, drawing her close for a kiss. “I’d like you to keep it on when we make love.”

A shiver of excitement ran through her. They’d only made love with their clothes on once, at the hotel in the Highlands when she’d come to his rescue. That had been intense and powerfully sensual. She claimed his lips in another kiss and deepened it after she ran her tongue along his mouth and gently nibbled at his bottom lip.

She squealed in surprise when he lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bed, laying her gently down. The robe slid off the left half of her body, and she shivered again as her skin was exposed to the air. Her nipple puckered almost at once, and she pushed her chest out at the invisible lover’s touch.

“God, you’re so beautiful, Rose,” Dave said.

She rolled to lie properly on her back. “So are you,” she said, gazing at him as he was bathed in the afternoon light that made his pale skin glow warmly, casting the planes and angles of his body into sharp relief.

She reached out for him. “I want you, Dave.”

He took her hand and this time it was she who pulled him down towards her. To her surprise, he settled on his knees between her legs, draping them over his thighs so she had to tilt her pelvis upwards.

“Close your eyes,” he said softly. “Forget about me, and close your eyes.”

She was about to chuckle. How could she forget about him when she lay so open and vulnerable? She felt very naked in that position, but it was also such a turn-on. She relaxed completely and her eyes fluttered shut.

He pushed her legs up and open as he leaned forward to kiss her. His free hand went up to her head to brush the hair out of her face. She could feel his half-hard cock press into her abdomen. Her hands moved to his shoulders to hold him in place, in the hope that he’d kiss her neck and shoulders and her breasts.

“Just keep your eyes closed, aye?” he whispered close to her ear as he kissed the tendon in her neck; she turned her head to grant him better access. She nodded, sighing in pleasure. It was unbelievable what this man could do to her with a few touches and whispered words.

“I want this to be all about you. What you did to me yesterday,” he said, gently nibbling at her skin, “it was so sexy, it was so… I dreamt of it. And I came like a teenager.”

“Did you,” she murmured, giving herself over to his caress. The images his words conjured were deliciously sensual, of Dave in that wonderful bed, in his chocolate covers, naked and twisting and coming to memories of _her_.

“Yes. I love it when you go down on me,” he said, switching sides. His cock was twitching against her now, and she could feel a warm wetness spread there, just like she was getting increasingly wet. And it was all just his words and his kiss, the soothing brush of his thumb over her forehead.

“Dave,” she sighed.

“Aye, Rose.”

“Please.”

“Not yet, my love,” he said, kissing along her jawline. “I want to make you scream, and I want to take my time doing so.”

She slid her hands down his back to his waist, then to his hips and to cup his bum, but he held still when usually he responded so well to these small signs. Eventually, she dropped her hands to the mattress.

He pushed up and away from her, drawing his palms over her breasts and along the edge of her ribcage down her stomach and to her hipbones, pushing aside the robe where it still covered her body. Rose shivered at the sudden cold as well as at his caress. She desperately wanted to open her eyes to watch him look at her, but she was afraid of breaking the spell.

Dave slid his hands along her thighs, over her knees and to her ankles, cupping her heels before drawing his hands up the insides of her thighs as soon as he could reach them. Then he pushed his hands up her body again to cup her breasts and play with her nipples for a few moments.

Rose gasped at the intensity of pleasure his touch gave her. They’d made love a lot, but never had it been so… warm and sensual. “Oh Dave,” she exhaled, pushing her shoulders down into the mattress and shifting a bit to make herself more comfortable.

Dave drew his hands down to her hipbones again, this time along her sides.

And then, oh… Oh!

He slid his thumbs through the wetness that had gathered between her folds, and massaged it into her labia.

But just as quickly as his thumbs had appeared they were gone, and he drew his fingers over her body once more, spreading the dampness over her skin.

And then he returned.

“Dave!” she moaned.

He withdrew.

And returned.

Rose gasped and bucked. This time, he had pushed up his thumbs to brush her clit, and that first ripple of pleasure tore through her with unexpected force.

She could hear his smile at her reaction.

“Relax, my love,” he said.

She tried and he avoided caressing her sex for a while, giving her time to recover. But of course he’d be back, and he was, massaging her, making love to her with his fingers alone without ever pushing into her. Her hips jerked as frisson after frisson of excitement shot through her and she pushed her shoulders deeper into the mattress, her fingers seeking purchase as she pushed herself against his fingers.

“Let yourself go, Rose,” Dave said, “I’m here. I’ve got you.”

Rose threw back her head as he brushed her clit again and let out an embarrassing sound somewhere between a keen and a squeal.

“Relax, Rose, I love you. Just be yourself,” he whispered. Cupping her mons with one hand — “Oh, you’re so warm!” she moaned —, he then did something wonderful with his fingers, she didn’t know what, and she didn’t care because she came, hard and with a cry, with tears running down her temples. And it was all Dave and his smile and warmth that she took with her as she let go and fell and came and cried and fell.

She was barely aware of Dave closing the robe around her and drawing her into his arms. She snuggled up to him, basking in his warmth and the feeling of security he gave her as she recovered from her orgasm.

“Are ye all right?” he asked softly, kissing her hairline.

She laughed, sniffling. “Yeah, yeah, I am.”

“Then why are you crying, my love?” he asked, concern lacing his voice. “Did I hurt you?”

“No. It was… was just so wonderful. A little overwhelming, maybe,” she said.

He smiled. “Oh. But I haven’t done anything different, have I?”

“It’s just me. I’ve been so excited about this afternoon that I suppose things were a bit more intense.”

“Has something happened?”

“No. I just love being with you, and what you said to me yesterday… well, it turned me on and I’ve been wondering about your plans,” she said, playing with the hair on his chest and circling his nipple with the tip of her finger.

He kissed her gently. “I have some wonderful news,” he said. “I’ve had a letter from the Royal Academy of Art on Monday. They’ve shortlisted the _Emptiness Folder_. For their award.”

“Oh.”

“I’ll have to select six more photos from the folder to be displayed at the Carlisle Gallery,” he said.

“That’s wonderful, Dave!” she said. She had been a bit reluctant when he’d first asked her if it was all right for him to send in sample pictures. Of course he’d only chosen the ones that were really fit for other people’s eyes, and while she’d hoped for him that they’d get the recognition they deserved she’d also thought that maybe they should have kept the shots private.

He grinned. “I’d like to select the rest of the photos together with you, to make sure that we don’t upset anyone. Least of all ourselves.”

“The folder is very personal,” she said softly, hoping he’d understand her doubts. But she had to admit it was a little late to be having them now.

“Are you…” She could feel him withdraw a little.

“We will find the perfect pictures,” she said, cupping his cheek. He’d been so happy and she had spoiled it.

“You sound a bit… flat.”

She sighed. “I am very happy for you. The _Emptiness Folder_ more than deserves the award. It’s so brave, because the pictures are so personal. I’d just like to make sure you won’t regret anything later,” Rose said, hoping that she was making herself clearer.

“I’ve thought this through, Rose.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” She bit her lip. “Now I’ve killed the mood, haven’t I?”

He drew her closer. “No, you haven’t. You’ve just reminded me of something very important.”

“What’s that?” she asked, confused.

“That I have to look after my family even better now,” he said.

They lay in silence for a while.

“That includes you,” he said. He opened his mouth as if he wanted to add something, but clicked it shut again and gave her a small, apologetic smile. A shiver coursed through her body. She’d have liked to hear what he had to say, but he had sensed that this wasn’t the time. They hung between them, but only he was able to see them.

“That’s very sweet of you, Dave,” Rose said, running her fingertips from his lips down his chest. “Now, I believe apologies are in order.”

“You don’t have to do this,” he protested, stilling her hand as she moved it over his chest. “We can always go back and take a few different shots if we don’t find any suitable ones.”

“Now, that wouldn’t be the same, would it? Almost a bit cheating,” she said. “It’s not that I didn’t know you’d have to hand in more shots, and there are definitely enough there that aren't too personal.”

He leaned in for a kiss.

“I knew you’d be shortlisted,” she said. He might have gotten her wrong, attributing her reluctance to the fact that she didn’t believe in him. But she did. He was so good. Rose squeezed her eyes shut, realising that she was making a right mess of things. She rolled away from him.

“Rose?”

“I’m all over the place, I’m sorry,” she said, drawing the robe closer around her body.

“You’re just worried after what happened on Monday,” he said. “It’s upset you more than you’re ready to admit. And you’re still exhausted.”

“Perhaps I am,” she mumbled, mortified. She mustn’t be falling apart on him like this. Not again. Not after what had happened at the cottage. Maybe all this was happening too soon after all — not only because of Rita, or the fact that Dave came with a handful of children — maybe she needed more time to heal after her accident. The scars on her back were a constant, and welcome, reminder to be cautious, but maybe she hadn’t been cautious enough about her heart.

And now there was the idea, the faint possibility, that the Doctor had found a way to pass through the Wall after all. But if he’d been here since Monday, if he’d already traced her to Glasgow, then why hadn’t he come to find her as well? If he was anything like the man who had burnt up a sun for her, he wouldn’t waste any time to get to her.

Evie had a very vivid imagination, and she’d been upset at the time. In her need of security she’d seen her father’s face in someone who looked a bit like him and clung to that idea for comfort. And misunderstood his name in the din of the street.

“Tell you what,” Dave said, propping himself up on his elbow without crowding her, “why don’t you catch up on some sleep and I’ll start preparing dinner?”

“But I haven’t… we…”

“Don’t worry about me,” he said. “I’ll be fine. Besides, it’s not as if I didn’t enjoyed myself earlier either. You were so beautiful. I could have caressed and watched you forever.”

Rose flushed a little. She shifted and drew him towards her for a kiss. “How do I deserve you?” she asked.

He looked unguarded for a moment, and she chose that moment to push him down into the pillows. A new wave of want and need rolled over her. He was such a wonderful man, and she’d disappointed him so much. It was Wednesday, Davesday — she couldn’t leave him wanting when he’d given her so much pleasure.

His eyes had gone wide with surprise and he stared up at her as she straddled him. His hands lay, limp, along her legs as she sat on her knees above him. She shifted briefly to pull the duvet from between them. His cock was soft and small as it nestled between his legs.

Rose opened her robe again and smiled softly at him, but not pulling it off her shoulders. He’d wanted her in it earlier, and she wanted to give him that.

His hands rose to rest on her thighs, his thumbs drawing crescents on their insides. Dave slid his hands up her skin, running his thumbs along the crease of her groin to move his hands to her waist and hold her. He was incredibly warm.

She began to play with his cock, and when it was getting hard, Dave let go of her to sit up and support himself on his left hand, tightening his grip on her waist. Rose dipped her head for a kiss, and she delighted in the moan she drew from him. The space between them didn’t allow for much movement, but Rose still managed to stroke him, and in the process she brushed his lower abdomen. Once or twice he rewarded her with a hiss as her touch was particularly delicious for him.

They kissed languidly, and Rose would falter in stroking him as his lips and tongue distracted her. At one point, he shifted them slightly so he could use his hands to touch her, but he increased the space between them.

“Let me put on a condom,” Dave whispered in her ear. “I’m close, and I want to be inside you when I come.”

Rose shifted to her left, opened the drawer in her bedside table and got a handful of the foil packets she had stashed away there. Dave grabbed for one and tore it open. She rose to her knees so he could roll it onto himself, wondering whether it wasn’t time to do without a condom. She was well-protected, and both of them were healthy. She was unlikely to get pregnant.

When he was done she rested her arms on his shoulders, watching closely as he guided himself between her legs and, finally, her sinking down on him. The feeling of homecoming and completeness was overwhelming. Rose threw back her head and moaned. She felt so full and when she was settled in his lap, she was very still.

Dave wrapped his arms around her beneath the robe, holding her close to him, her breasts pressing into his hot skin. He rested his head on her shoulder, his breath coming in warm puffs over her skin.

“I want us to be like this forever,” Dave whispered, parting his legs a little to push deeper into her.

Rose rested her cheek against his forehead and buried her fingers in his hair. “I’d like that.”


	7. Six

Six

October had started miserably wet and unusually cold — too cold by meteorologists’ standards, but then they always came up with gloomy statements like this, just to withdraw that statement later on and adjust it to an ‘unusual cold spell’. The constant rain had made the day gloomy, and even though it wasn’t yet four, the dark was descending already.. More clouds kept moving in from the sea, one bank of them darker and hanging lower than the last. It was so dreich out that Dave had made a fire in the parlour hearth and switched on Rita’s chains of fairy lights.

They had just returned from school and snuggled up in the warm, cosy room with the steaming mugs of hot chocolate with which Lottie had welcomed them. They'd all put on the knitted socks she had made for them for extra warmth. Dave wondered if she’d ever stop surprising them with new talents. He also wondered how long she would stay with them. He’d have expected her to leave in September to get ready for uni, but she had blithely replied that she’d rather stay another year and take some classes at the School of Art to keep her mind occupied. “I can’t leave you and the children,” she’d said, and he’d hugged her in response.

Lottie was heaven-sent, and he had no idea what he’d do without her. So he’d raised her pay a bit and written letters of recommendation to get her into one of the classes she was interested in.

He sat on the sofa with Evie’s head on his thigh. She was dozing, the mug of hot chocolate forgotten, as they listened to Ewan play the piano. He had improved dramatically, and Dave enjoyed listening to him. Paul and Lucy were sharing the other sofa, Lucy was reading a novel for school while Paul went through his school notes in his binder.

Dave smiled and sipped the warming beverage. Only Rose was missing from this idyllic scenario. But even he knew that the peace and quiet wouldn’t last forever, although the bairns had settled down somewhat as autumn approached. Was the excitement of the summer finally winding down, leaving room to think of Rita and her absence?

In the past two weeks, Dave had found himself getting closer and closer to asking Rose to become his wife. He’d missed that chance with Rita. He’d never asked her because he was afraid she’d say no. He knew it wouldn’t be like that with Rose. They wouldn’t have to get married any time soon, to give everyone the chance to adjust to the idea. While Anna had gotten used to the idea of him being in love again, she hadn’t been best-pleased about the pap incident. In her view, he and Rose getting married would make them uninteresting to the general public. He smiled softly at the idea, but also gave his head a slight shake. That must not be the reason, a reason at all, to marry Rose. He’d wondered when he’d learned to look at things through Anna’s eyes, but he supposed he did because he needed to protect his family.

“Dad?” Paul asked, drawing two sheets of paper out of a sleeve. “Ewan and I have decided which of the project classes we’d like to join.” They had come home with a letter from the headmaster at the beginning of the term, explaining that all pupils would have to sign up to an extra class that school year to foster working in a team with pupils outside their form and group as well as their individual interests. While it had seemed to be quite a bit of extra work at first, the boys had discussed the classes on offer enthusiastically. Lucy had been a bit jealous at first because there was no such thing at her school, but over the course of the first few weeks of term it had turned out that she would be involved more in Orchestra than ever before. She had the chance to play principal second violin, and preparing for it demanded a lot of her time.

“When’s the deadline again?” Dave asked, rubbing Evie’s shoulder.

“Tomorrow.”

“What would you like to do?” Dave asked. He had to give his consent, but to him it was only a matter of formality. He’d not stay in the way when his children chose to pursue something that interested them.

“Ewan and I would like to join the same class,” Paul said.

“Oh.” That was a surprise, because they had such different personalties and interests. They had, however, grown closer because of the Illness and during the weeks they had spent travelling and exploring Scotland in the summer. Still, Dave couldn’t help being surprised that they would share the same academic interest. He’d have expected Ewan to sign up for the soccer project.

“Aye,” Paul said. “We’d like to attend Miss Redfern’s class.”

Dave frowned. He hadn’t heard her name before. She must be new. “What’s her project again?” he asked. There had been a host of classes to choose from, and he couldn’t remember all of them, particularly since the boys had been interested in quite a few without considering to attend the same one.

“The Lost Legion!” Ewan chimed in, abandoning the piano. Lottie took his place and began to play softly.

“The what?”

“Legio IX Hispana. It was a Roman army that went missing in 117 AD,” Ewan explained enthusiastically. “It’s such a mystery! And there’s more people in history who disappeared for mysterious reasons. Like that lady pilot…”

“Amelia Earhart!” Lucy jumped in. “That sounds really interesting. I wish we had something like that at our school.”

“But you’re usually not interested in History , are ye, Ewan?” Dave asked. It was no surprise that Paul would choose this class, and while he could see that the mystery attracted Ewan’s interest, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to go through with a whole school year of exploring these mysteries.

“But this is about what History can’t really explain, and it’s got Romans,” Ewan said.

“Are you sure you want to spend a whole year working on that?” Dave asked.

Ewan nodded, as serious as he ever got.

“What about Miss Redfern?” he asked.

“She’s new, but she’s brilliant. She teaches History and it’s really interesting when she tells us stuff,” Paul said. “Everyone likes her.”

“Is she pretty?” Lucy asked.

Paul blushed and shrugged.

Dave laughed. A popular teacher, or, more importantly, a teacher his bairns liked, would work wonders, no matter the subject. If Miss Redfern was that nice and managed to capture both his sons’ attention then he’d not object. He wanted them to be educated as widely as possible.

“You’ll have to sign a permit slip, though,” Paul said, standing to give him the sheets of paper he’d produced from his binder. “We’ll go on field trips too. And we might need to get an extra book or two.”

Dave nodded, letting go of Evie. He leaned forward carefully to accept the sheets of paper and pen. He quickly filled in the required information after he’d read through the fine print. Then he signed the slips. When he returned them to Paul he couldn’t help thinking that Paul was relieved as he returned the sheets to the sleeve. Had he missed something?

“We have this new girl in the orchestra,” Lucy began eventually, putting her book down. “She plays the cello. She’s really good, but she seems a bit… aloof.”

“Where is she from?” Dave asked, leaning back in the cushions and resuming to rub Evie’s shoulder. As he’d bent over her to check on her she’d been fast asleep.

“She’s local, but she seems really old fashioned. I really like her hair – it’s that sort of retro style that’s so popular now,” she said.

Dave was stunned. Lucy wasn’t usually someone who talked about things like this when the rest of the family were present. Well, with any member of the family, really. He supposed that her stay with the Quinlans had changed that, that Alice and Gemma had managed to draw her out and interest her in the more… girly things.

“It’s from the 1940s,” Lottie chimed in. She stopped playing the piano. “It’s really gorgeous. The fashion of that era generally is.”

Dave laughed softly. “You’re full of surprises, _Charlotte_.” He pronounced her name in German, and he liked to think that he was getting it a bit more right with each attempt. It had become his pet name for Lottie. “Maybe she’s not aloof but shy,” Dave suggested. “Have you tried talking to her?”

“She arrives at the last moment and leaves immediately after practice,” Lucy said. “It’s the same in class.”

“What makes you think she’s so old-fashioned?” Lottie asked. “It seems a bit strange if she knows about the latest craze in fashion?”

“Well… it’s just… she has no idea who Rufus Horwood is, for example. Or Coldplay,” Lucy said.

Dave shrugged. The actor as well as the band were household names, even in ones without teenagers, but then there were always people who tried to protect their children from too much pop culture. That might have become a problem in their house as well because Rita had been a bit overprotective. It had taken him a lot of arguments with Ewan to make him understand that too much telly and computer games weren’t really good. But then the charm of the new had worn off and he’d returned to playing footie, taken up piano lessons and picked up a book without encouragement. Dave felt that he was on the right track with them. He’d learned that things like this needed time.

“Then why don’t you invite her to watch a few eps or lend her one of your CDs? You have them on your iPod anyway,” Lottie suggested.

Lucy shrugged, but it was in that way she had that suggested that she’d consider the idea; she’d never admit, of course, that it hadn’t been her own idea to begin with.

“What are you and Rose going to do tomorrow?” Ewan asked, slumping onto the sofa next to Paul to inspect the filled-in form and check if Dave had really signed it.

“I think we’re just going to stay in if the weather is as ghastly as it is today,” Dave said. “And we’ll have to discuss which of the photos to send to the Carlisle Gallery.” They’d do so much more than just that, of course. Rose was going to return from a week-long trip London the next day. He couldn’t wait to be with her again. The fact that he missed her so much was further reassurance for the fact that asking her to marry him was the right decision. He’d just have to find the perfect moment to ask her.

“I can’t wait to see them,” Lucy said, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees to pick up her nearly-forgotten hot chocolate. “Why won’t you let us see them? I’d like to help with them too.”

“Some of the shots are very personal.”

“Oh,” she grinned.

“It’s not about that. It’s… they are very emotional, and we don’t want to share all our emotions with all and sundry. Particularly not now,” he said.

“I see. I’m sorry, Dad.”

“Don’t worry, it’s okay. I’ll show you the ones that we’re happy to put on display. I’m sure there will be more than the six that are required and you can make a choice,” he said.

“Does that mean we’re going to Edinburgh?” Ewan perked up. He wasn’t that much interested in the photos, but he really liked travelling.

“In the new year, aye,” Dave said.

“Yes!” Ewan cried, waking Evie. She sat up, still sleepy, and took stock of who was in the room. Dave gave her her glasses and checked his watch. It was time for tea.

“Can I interest anyone in pasta?”

-:-

In the end, Dave picked Rose up at the station late on Wednesday afternoon. She’d had to catch a later train than planned, and she seemed crushed by that fact. They’d only talked on the phone a few times in the past week. He welcomed her with a tight embrace, a long kiss and a cup of hot coffee. Queen Street Station was freezing, and Rose shivered as she slipped her arm into the crook of his for warmth. “It’s ghastly!” she said, sipping her coffee.

“Aye, it’s been like this for the past week.”

“Let’s get home then. I could do with a bath,” she said, slipping into the passenger seat. After he had stowed away her suitcase in the boot, he got into the car. As planned, she’d found the card the bairns had made for her where he’d left it on the seat. He hadn’t wanted it to get soggy, and Evie had finally agreed to leave it on the seat where Rose would find it almost first thing after she got off the train. Dave fingered the blue velvet-covered box in his jacket pocket. It’s shape and weight were reassuring, but he hadn’t made a decision when to ask her yet. Maybe after her bath.

“Oh, that’s so sweet,” Rose said, touched, as she read the message Evie had copied carefully off the notepad on which they’d drafted it. _Dear Rose, welcome back! We miss you terribly. We have lots of pictures to show you from our trip in the summer, and we’ve put them in a nice book. When will you come and have a look? Much love, Evie, Ewan, Paul and Lucy_. There were lots of hearts and umbrellas and sunglasses, and Evie had drawn a family portrait on the cover, including Lottie. “I miss them too,” she said, slipping the card back into the envelope.

He leaned over the gearbox and trailed his fingers along her jaw. “I missed you so much, Rose,” he said, his voice catching. “So much.”

She closed the distance between them and they kissed for a short while. “We should get going,” Rose mumbled against his lips.

“Aye.” He pulled out of the parking lot. He had taken Rose’s small Italian car because he could navigate city traffic more smoothly in it than in the sturdy family car. As they travelled, Rose was surprisingly quiet, and she had turned her gaze inward. Whatever it was that was bothering her it must be serious because she’d been unable to shake it on the journey north. A few times, when he had to stop at traffic lights, Dave debated asking her what was wrong, but he gathered from her continued silence that it wasn’t something to be discussed in the car. Besides, he needed to stay focused on the road; by now he’d gotten used to driving in the incessant rain, but there were plenty of other drivers who were less adept.

Dave gave Rose some time to collect herself and settle in as she ran her bath. He went to the kitchen to open the bottle of red wine he’d brought. He’d meant to keep it for dinner and afterwards, but Rose needed the wine now. Also, he set the oven timer and started his favourite version of surf and turf. The oven would turn itself off so that in case they weren’t ready to eat when the food was cooked there’d be no burnt offering.

He poured each of them some wine and carried them into her en suite, announcing his presence with a soft knock on the door so as not to startle her. When he entered the garishly bright room, he found her sitting, half-naked, on the stool with a terrified expression. He put the glasses down on the counter and knelt before her, cupping her knees. “Rose, love? What’s wrong?”

Startled, she looked up. “Oh, Dave,” she said. “Can you hold me, please?”

He rose on his knees to draw her into his arms; the tiles were unforgiving beneath his knees, so eventually he shifted to let go of her. “Why don’t we get in the tub?”

Rose nodded, smiling, and took off the rest of her clothes while he started to undress himself. Seeing her so upset left him concerned, and he settled in the tub facing her.

“What are you doing?” she asked, smiling and turning around to lie back against his chest. “Too bad you left the wine on the counter.”

“Aye.” Her behaviour was bewildering.

She wrapped his arms around her and rested her head on his shoulder. Her weight felt good against him, reassuring him of her presence; so far she’d been so caught up in her thoughts that she’d seemed physically distant. For some reason, he was very still, afraid that if he started caressing her he’d lose her.

They lay in silence for a while, but to his relief he could feel the tension melt off her, until eventually she was ready to talk. “I missed you so much, Dave. Every night I returned to my room, I wished you were there to hold me. Just to hold me.”

“Oh.”

“And make love, eventually,” she said, turning a little in his embrace.

“I’d hoped that,” he said, smiling.

“I’m sorry for being like this to you now, Dave. But it’s been an intense week, and I… well, let’s just say I’m glad to be back. Sorry for being so quiet. How was your week?” she asked, turning a bit further in his embrace. Her soft, wet skin slid most exquisitely over his own, and Dave was reminded of his plans to seduce her. His cock twitched and he hummed softly.

“Busy and very productive. It seems that I’ve got the studio back on track. The bairns have settled into hibernation mode.”

Rose laughed. “Hibernation mode?”

“Aye, they… the weather and the lack of natural light has made them settle down a little. They’re usually a bit more quiet in winter, but it’s only October.”

“I wish Tony went into hibernation mode occasionally,” Rose giggled. “He’s been very lively. In a way I’m glad to be back. Poor Mum, though.”

“I’m sure he’s settled down by now. He must have been very excited to see you, and that ramped things up,” Dave said.

“Hopefully. When’s a good time to look at the photos? Do you reckon the bairns would like to come to mine for a change?” Rose asked.

Dave’s heart expanded. Her sincerity and genuine love for his children never ceased to amaze him, and once more he was sure that the little box in his coat pocket was perfect. “Why not? Would Saturday be all right? It’d have to be a proper family thing, though.”

Rose nodded. “Of course. You could ask Lottie too, unless, of course, it’s her day off. But I’d like to include her. She feels like part of the family.”

“She does, doesn’t she?”

“So Saturday it is,” Rose said.

They stayed in the bath a while longer, taking turns washing each other’s hair. Then the timer went off in the kitchen and its beeping echoed through the quiet house. Rose raised an eyebrow as she slipped into her robe. “Dinner?”

“Aye,” he said.

“You’re spoiling me, Dave.”

“No. You deserve it, after the rotten week you’ve apparently had.” He slipped on his own robe — Rose had given it to him the Sunday before she left — and hurried down to the kitchen to check on the food. It was perfect as he removed it from the oven to allow it to cool a little. Rose joined him, dressed in a pair of jeans and warm fluffy jumper. The house was cold because he hadn’t remembered until that morning to turn on the heating. He hurried upstairs to change into his clothes and when he returned to the kitchen with their glasses of wine, Rose had set the table and was serving out the food. The room was bathed in the soft light of candles and small lamps, and she’d put on some music.

He hurried to the porch for the little box in his pocket.


	8. Seven

Seven

After dinner they snuggled up in front of the fire, a soft blanket helping to keep them warm as the fire worked to penetrate the chill in the large parlour. The room was bathed in the light from the fire and candles which glistened off the glasses of wine they sipped from opposite ends of the sofa.

Dave could feel the little box dig into his hip as if it wanted to remind him of his plan. He slipped his hand beneath the blanket, tilting his pelvis up to be able to reach the box in the pocket of his jeans better. Rose’s brows shot up as she saw him move, probably thinking something exquisitely naughty.

“It’s not what you think,” he said, settling back as he’d pulled the box free; he left his hand beneath the blanket. He wanted to play.

“What am I thinking?” she asked, tucking the tip of her tongue into the corner of her mouth.

He wanted her. He’d wanted her since… well, for a long time. “That I’m just reaching inside my pocket to get out the box that holds your engagement ring.”

Rose’s eyes went wide and she guffawed. “You’re rubbish at reading my mind.”

“Well,” he said. He suppressed a grin. She really didn’t think that he was about to propose to her. Did she think it was just a ridiculous idea? Would she dismiss it? His heart skipped a beat. With one hand he managed to open the box beneath the blanket. He’d have to take this leap of faith. “Why don’t you come and have a look?”

Rose laughed, but she put down her glass on the table behind the sofa and crawled towards him, reaching to lift the blanket, expecting, of course, to find him naked and hard and throbbing. But he was far from it. Adrenaline pumped through his body and he felt his heart speed up, hammering against his chest as if preparing to leave his body for her.

Licking her lips, her eyes never leaving his, she took the edge of the blanket to peel it back. His grip tightened around the open box. He tried to keep looking at her, but he began to smile and he closed his eyes. Then, finally, there was a rush of cool hair against his lap as Rose pulled back the blanket, followed by her gasp. Her eyes had settled on the box and the diamond sitting there on the velvet in a simple white-gold band.

“You…” she began. “You weren’t kidding.”

“I never joke about things like this,” he replied, focusing on her again. He’d looked at the ring many times. What was more precious at this moment was her expression.

“You…”

“Would you do me the honour of becoming my wife, Rose?” he asked.

Rose was on her knees between his legs, and he was proposing to her. He had this idea that his heart was beating so fast he wasn’t aware of it any more. His eyes were riveted on her.

“Dave,” she said, sitting back on her heels. She looked from the ring in its velvety bed to his face. She leaned forward to kiss him, her hands on either side of his hips. She hadn’t touched the ring. She hadn’t said anything but his name.

She broke the kiss after a few moments, chaste as it had been, just a touch of lips to lips. She didn’t want him.

He pressed his lips into a thin line. She didn’t want him. What had he been thinking? Of course she would say no.

His grip tightened around the box, and with a brush of his thumb it snapped shut, putting an end to his dreams like the lid on a music box cut off a beautiful tune. He closed his fist around the box, hiding it from view.

“I…” he managed to say, wishing he could just disappear, curl up in his bed and just… be. A father, a photographer. Functioning for the sake of his children. “I’d better go.”

“What? Why?” Rose asked, her eyes wide.

He closed his eyes. Did she really need him to spell it out for her? “Rose, please. Let me go.”

She looked at him in bewilderment. “Dave? I don’t understand. I said yes.”

He blinked. He hadn’t heard her. “Ye did?”

Rose smiled, cupping his cheek, ensuring she had his attention. “I did. I do. I do want to be your wife, Dave.” She laughed as the words tumbled out of her. She was just as surprised by her answer as he was.

He sat upright, dropping the box to pull her towards him for a kiss. The sofa suddenly felt too narrow to accommodate the two of them, and after a bit of awkward shifting they eventually slid in a tangle of limbs onto the soft rug. Somehow, though, they never broke their kiss.

“You really want to be my wife?” Dave asked as they came up for air.

“I… I… Yes, I do. I just couldn’t believe you’d ask me,” she said.

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“Well, there are four good reasons. Plus I’m… me, an alien, and… and that whole… _thing_ my life has become since I’ve landed here,” she said, stumbling over her thoughts and words.

“Rose,” he said, closing her mouth with his hand on her lips. “Rose. Do you really think I’d ask you if my four very good reasons weren’t four very good reasons?”

“Well, I… I’m not very good at being domestic. Never have been, really,” she said.

Dave frowned, wondering what made her think that. She worked long hours, strange hours, but when she was with him and with the children she was very loving and protective. She was so many things Rita and Michelle hadn’t been. How could he ever find the words to describe what Rose and he had. “You’re being _glaikit_ , Rose.” He dropped his hand from her mouth.

She closed her eyes. “Please don’t make me say it.”

“Because then it becomes real?” he asked, wondering what it was she needed to tell him. What was so bad that she was so terrified? Right at that moment he thought he would be able to forgive her almost anything. Or was this about the Doctor? Had he returned after all? They hadn’t talked about him ever since the afternoon on the studio patio. Was he the reason for her prolonged stay in London?

“I… I might not be able to have any children,” she said.

“What?” He blinked.

“The Void. The Void Stuff. It was supposed to be harmless, but the Torchwood doctors reckon I might not be able to have a baby. I might not be able to carry it to term, or it might be ill, or—”

“Rose!”

She looked at him in shock.

“Listen to yourself. You worry about someone who doesn’t even exist yet. That is the reason I love you. I… I’m over the moon because you said yes. I consider myself the luckiest man alive to have found you,” he said, taking her hand.

Rose stared at him.

And then he understood. “You do want my baby.” The idea of her wanting a child with him made him want to cry out loud with joy.

Rose nodded, her eyes starting to brim with tears.

“Oh, Rose.” He drew her into his arms. “Rose, Rose, Rose.” He had been a right numpty. He held her, but Rose remained calm, returning the gesture with all her might. She was such a powerful woman, in many ways, but the most important one, the power over her body, the most personal, important kind of power there was, she did not command.

He kissed her hair, starting to rock her gently. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t want a child with her, but the fact that she’d want to be his wife was wonderful enough in itself. He had a house full of children, and they adored Rose. It wasn’t the same, he knew that.

Dave felt helpless. There was nothing he could say to comfort her because, really, there were no words. This Void Stuff was just another reminder of how cruel the universe was. He did what he did best: hold her and offer her his quiet support.

Eventually, they returned to the softness and warmth of the sofa and the blanket. He’d envisioned them making gentle, languorous love after he asked her, but they lay curled up around each other, fully clothed, on the sofa. It was perfect. He was with the woman he loved; she hadn’t run, telling him to find someone else.

They lay in silence, staring into the flames across the cream expanse of the deep-pile rug between them and the fireplace. He saw the photograph the children had given her on the mantel, among photos of her family and friends.

“You’ve made me so happy,” she murmured, pressing her body back into his. He had no idea if she wanted sex or just to be held more tightly. He tightened his hold on her and slid one hand up her torso to brush the underside of her left breast. It suggested both possibilities without pressing her into either direction. It left things open. It was for her to decide what to do.

Rose slid away from him, rolling to lie on her back so she could look at him. “You have made me very happy,” she said. “I feel at home for the first time since I arrived here.”

“It’s not too bad after all, this universe, ?” he asked, kissing the tip of her nose.

She smiled, which made something warm and fuzzy explode in the pit of his stomach. “I never said it was. It just wasn't home. But now it is. It has been since you first kissed me.”

“Oh.”

“You’ve made me forget.”

“Despite the _Emptiness Folder_?”

“Because of it. Don’t you see, Dave? I feel so strongly about it because it… it helped me deal with the emptiness inside me. It helped me heal.”

“It didn’t tear open old wounds?” he asked, amazed by her resilience.

“Is that why you thought I was so reluctant about it? I’m so happy for you, Dave. But the photos are very very personal. It’s not just about Rose Tyler, Vitex Heiress. I don’t care much about her. She’s just a role. Let the press say what they want. The photo shoot is about me, about Rose Tyler, the person, the broken-hearted girl from a different universe who’s terrified at the idea of losing the man, and his family, she so dearly loves,” she said. “There. I’ve said it.”

“Would you rather I—”

“No. I just want you to know exactly how I feel about some of the shots. The mirror ones. The ones of me on the outside, looking in. Looking back,” she said.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked, unable to suppress a rush of disappointment.

“It’s your project. It’s your award. And you deserve it so much, Dave,” she said.

He started to commit her features to memory by trailing his fingers over her skin. “You should have told me. I’d never have sent in the four sample pictures.”

“I… I suppose I don’t want to change the authenticity of them,” she said. “What makes these photos work is that they are real. Genuine. They are about real people, not about people wanting to tell a story. The pictures do tell a story, but it’s a real one. That’s what makes your shots stand out. The judges sensed that, and I’m sure the general public will too.”

“So what do you suggest?”

“Put in the two of us, with the masks on and the smeared make-up. The shots of us in the bath tub. Some of the mirror ones. But please don’t add the ones of my scars, or your…”

“Hard-on?” he said.

“Yeah.”

He remained silent.

“It belongs to me,” she said, reaching down between them to cup his crotch. “You’re mine,” she growled.

He’d never seen her so possessive. He hardened against her palm, pressing the buttons of his fly against her. He usually wasn’t that possessive, but right at that moment he wanted Rose to know that they were each other’s now. “Yes,” he growled.

In a flash, he was on top of her, between her legs, his hand beneath her cashmere jumper, brushing the backs of his fingers against the silk of her bra. Her nipples pebbled as she moaned and pushed up and into his hands. They kissed, resting their foreheads against each other’s.

“Please, Dave. I need you. I want you.”

“Haven’t got any condoms.”

She chuckled. “I don’t think we’ll need them. Besides, I’m… Oh!” she cried as he cupped her crotch through her jeans without finesse. She was warm and not exactly damp, but it was hard to tell. She might have been. She pressed down against his fingers.

Then she yelped.

“What is it?” he asked, scared he’d hurt her.

She shifted and reached beneath her. Eventually she produced the small box. The ring. She held it up, staring at it. He plucked it from her like a blueberry tossing the box aside as he slid the ring on her finger. She held her hand up into the light, the firelight dancing in it, again, after countless millennia. It was forever and it was beautiful.

“We’re going to get married,” she said, stunned.

He nodded, tongue-tied.

She drew him down to her for a kiss, their mouths crashing against each other. They laughed, nibbling each other’s lips. He returned his hand to between her legs and pressed hard. She ground back at him.

“Please, Dave. I’ve missed you so,” she said.

“Let’s move to the floor,” he said. “We’ll be warmer there.”

Despite their initial urgency, they took their time undressing each other, using all their senses to rediscover the others’ weaknesses. She smelled of honey and sunshine and a whiff of sweat as he licked her armpit. She tasted like salted grapefruit. She encouraged him with her sighs and moans, foreign words tumbling off her lips. Her skin was peachy, and incredibly soft. And she was so beautiful as she moved in the firelight, her body meeting his as he drove into her, slowly, deeply, powerfully, marking her as his. He came hard inside her, much too quickly as the intensity of feeling the skin of his cock brush her soft, wet insides. And Rose bucked beneath him, pressing her pelvis against him and he held still as he kissed her sighs away. She was his, and he was hers.

She tightened her fingers where she had woven them through his as she threw her head back and arched into him, coming after him quietly but powerfully, her muscles clenching around him to take every last bit of essence.


	9. Eight: Lily

Part 2

Think of the thousands of nights and the shadows fought.  
And the mornings of light. I try to read your thought.

In the strange openness of your face, I'm powerless.  
Always this love. Always this infinity between us.  
\-- Michael O'Siadhail, _Between_

Lily

Lily lay in the near darkness staring at the still unfamiliar ceiling. The ambient light filtering in through the curtains painted a pattern of stylised dandelion clocks on the cornice and cream-coloured wall facing the bed. The pattern was the only picture above the massive mantelpiece. The room was nice but it had never been lived in. It was a spare bedroom in Dr Noble’s — Donna’s — house, and it seemed that she was the first guest. Donna had taken her in for however long it might take for Torchwood to find a way for her to return to her own time.

It was a nice room, with a shiny hardwood floor that the sun glinted off when it poured in through the tall bay windows. A white door opened onto her very own bathroom, and another hid a walk-in closet. Although her parents had been well off, and her grandparents’ place was nothing to be ashamed of either, Lily had never seen such luxury.

What was most luxurious, however, was how quiet the night was and the fact that she could leave the curtains and shutters open, that the windowpanes weren’t taped up with stars to prevent them from shattering in a blast. Night-time had become her favourite time of the day, which was funny because until she’d come here she’d dreaded it.

Her parents had died at night. Although they had sheltered in the basement of their London hotel, they had drowned because the rubble blocked the entrance and the mains had burst. Help couldn’t get to them fast enough. She’d been staying with her grandparents at the time — her parents had evacuated her there at the beginning of the war. 

She could still feel the sharp tug behind her navel as she’d been pulled forwards in time, thinking that it was be the shock wave of a bomb that had dropped nearby, throwing her off balance. In fact, that was what had happened, but somehow, she had woken up in a business area of Glasgow, which looked a bit like war-damaged buildings because they were empty and windowless. The orange street lights had been close to the fiery light of a burning city, but what had confused her was the fact that light was wasn’t flickering. And the quiet. There had been no droning planes, no staccato drumming of the Ack-Ack guns. She’d sat in a daze until a huge monster of a motorcar had appeared, blinding her with its headlights.

Torchwood.

She didn’t remember much about what had happened then. There was a flurry of acitvity, lots of people surrounding her, asking endless questions. A doctor had come to see her. She’d been unable to go to sleep at the Priory that night. It was good to know that it had survived the war. It was one of her favourite places in town; she’d attended and given a few concerts there before she’d moved to Muirhouse. But it was completely different now.

Well. That was not entirely correct.

She had no idea if it had survived the war. She hadn’t only been displaced in Time by that tug at her middle, but in Space as well. Rose had explained it to her. It appeared that Rose, too, had been transported to this universe, but not through the Rift. Lily was still trying to wrap her mind around it. She had started keeping a diary, and so far it looked more like an exercise book from an Advanced Physics class; it was filled with diagrams and brief notes. She kept adding to them as she thought she’d made a connection, or when she learned something new.

They had given her an identity card and a bank account in her name, along with some other paperwork. She had a bank account; she’d never had anything like it before, and when she needed money all she had to do was go to a cash machine. Rose had told her to take money when she needed something.

It was very confusing, the 21st century in a different universe. Rose had assured her that it wasn’t that much different from their original universe. Lily wasn’t supposed to be here; that much they had found out about her. Lily had snorted inwardly; she could have told them that. But the idea that she didn’t exist in this universe was a bit unsettling. She’d have to ask Donna if it was all right to do some research about her… about the Inneses of this universe at the library.

Donna. Dr Noble.

Rose. Mrs Tyler.

Dave. Mr Tyler.

She still hadn’t got used to addressing adults by their first name. The only adult she’d ever addressed like that was Adam, her godfather, and only because he really disliked her calling him Uncle Adam. She only used it to tease him.

The previous week Lily had asked Rose if it was all right for her to attend school. She’d started to go mad with boredom. At Muirhouse, she had attended a nearby girls’ boarding school. She had made friends with two girls there, Allie and Susan. Maybe if she went to school here she’d find some friends, and she also thought that being together with girls her age would help her adjust. But. There were also boys at that school. She’d wanted the ground to open up beneath her and swallow her whole that first day, but she’d pulled through, reminding herself of the fact that she wanted to join Orchestra. 

She needed to play the cello. It had helped her through her loss. She wished she had her cello now. Whenever she played, she relaxed, forgot about her problems and began to see clearly again. But her cello was locked away safely at St Catherine’s. She loved her cello. It was old and had been restored after it had been found, unloved and mute, in an abandoned house.

She’d been lucky. Auditions for Orchestra hadn’t taken place yet, and she’d got in.

That first day she’d felt very awkward, but then some of the girls had complimented her on her hairstyle and had asked her a lot of questions. It seemed that 1940s fashion was _in_ now. It was embarrassing, though, how much she didn’t know about the 21st century — and how could she possibly? So she tried to keep to herself as much as she could.

But this morning the girl auditioning for the second violin had approached her and invited her to her house. Her name was Lucy Morris. She was taller than her, and she was willowy and had those strange contraptions to straighten her teeth — braces. She played beautifully, but Lily could tell her heart wasn’t fully in it — if she dedicated, entrusted, herself to her instrument she’d easily be good enough to play first violin. She couldn’t tell her that yet, of course. It was hard trying to fit in and she didn’t want to step on Lucy’s toes.

Donna had encouraged her to go to Lucy’s house. For one moment Lily had wondered if that was because Torchwood were unable to find a way to take her back to her own Time and Place. She missed Allie and Susan. She missed Wallie, her dog, and Gran and Seanair.

Lily sat up. It was yet another sleepless night. She threw back the duvet and fished for her slippers. She needed a sip of water, and so she padded down the stairs to the kitchen. She nearly jumped when she saw Donna sitting there, nursing a glass of wine. It was the middle of the night. She’d assumed Donna was fast asleep by now. But here she sat, drinking wine. Her parents had had wine only when Da hadn’t had to work the next day. He’d been a surgeon, just like Donna.

“Hey,” Donna said. She looked tired and sad.

“Did you have a bad day at the hospital?” Lily asked. Her Da had turned to his grand piano for comfort. Donna had that same hollow look about her that he had when he was upset.

“Yeah,” she drawled in that American way that so many people seemed to have adopted here. Now.

“I’m sorry.”

“Nah. It’s okay. There wasn’t anything I could have done for her. I just… I wanted to give it a try anyway. Turned out I was wrong,” she said. Gesturing at the bottle of wine on the counter beside her, she continued, “I could make you a mug of hot chocolate. It’s been freezing. You’re not freezing in your room, are you?”

“I’m fine, thank you. I’d rather have a glass of water.” Donna had no idea what it was like to be cold. She’d been several nights in shelters, and the Anderson variety was the worst.

“Is it the quiet? That keeps you awake?”

“That, and so many other things,” Lily said, climbing awkwardly onto the tall stool at the breakfast bar. Donna’s kitchen was fabulously modern. It had a science-fiction-y feel about it. It was bright and smooth and still it looked welcoming. It was a shame she didn’t use it more.

“Are you nervous about going to Lucy’s tomorrow?” Donna asked.

Lily shrugged.

“You already know her father. It’s Mr Tiler — Dave. He took your picture.”

“Oh. But why…?” Lily remembered him. He was very nice, and he’d even warned her that the flash might be a bit brighter than the ones she was used to. Indeed, she had been momentarily blinded by it. But what had been even more amazing was that she’d been able to look at the photos he’d taken immediately. He had taken a tiny device the size of his thumb out of the camera and had slid it into a slot at his _computer_ — and seconds later the images had turned up on the screen. She was still rubbish with computers, but she was beginning to get the hang of them. Donna had shown her how to use this amazing piece of technology. She’d be lost at IT at school, and luckily, she didn’t need to attend IT class.

“… is Lucy called Morris? It’s her mother’s name. He is adopting her and her siblings,” Donna explained.

“What about Miss Morris?” It was still amazing that parents were unmarried these days.

“She died in an accident earlier this year,” Donna said. “She was on her bike when a police car ran her over.”

“Oh how dreadful,” Lily said. She’d had no idea. Now that she knew she had no idea how to behave in Lucy’s presence, even though she knew what it was like to lose her mother. She’d always been closer to her father, but she missed them both dearly.

“Yeah,” Donna said. “Dave met Rose a few months after it happened.”

Lily’s eyes went wide. “But…”

“If you ever need proof of love at first sight, Dave and Rose is who you’d want to look at. The two of them are amazing. She loves the kids and the kids love her,” Donna said. “They are very lucky to have each other.”

“And they’re both called Tyler? But they aren’t married?” Lily asked. Tyler was a common name, but fancy meeting a man or woman by the same name and falling in love with them.

Donna shrugged. “There's just a slight difference in spelling. Rose spells her name with a y, whereas Dave's is spelt with an i. Are you still nervous?”

Lily shook her head. “Yes. I have no idea about life in the 21st century. Everyone thinks I’m a… freak because I don’t have a Facebook account or don’t fancy Sean McDonald.”

Donna laughed. “I don’t know anything about Facebook, I’m too old for that, but I can show you what it is that makes Sean McDonald so special. How tired are you?”

Lily shook her head, her plait swishing across her shoulder blades. “Not very.”

“Right. Follow me, young lady.” Donna took her by the hand and pulled her into the parlour. There was a huge screen that showed programmes and films when you slid small silver discs into a slot beneath it. That was the way people watched films in the 21st century. No more queueing for tickets, news reels and cartoons. No more cigarette smoke and sweets or fleas. You just sat back on the sofa and enjoyed the film. And it was all in colour too! The only Technicolour film she’d ever seen was _Gone With the Wind_. She had no idea if that film existed here at all.

And then Sean McDonald appeared on screen, and Lily fell in love.


	10. Nine

Nine

Dave was nervous.

Lucy hardly ever brought friends from school home; she had a couple of times before Rita’s death, but even that had been years ago. And now she had decided to befriend the aloof new girl who played the cello in the orchestra. At least they had something powerful in common.

He had prepared lasagna; when it came to cooking it was his comfort food. He had perfected the recipe in the past few months, and he wanted to feed the children something solid and delicious. It was not the day to try out something new. Lasagna was fail-safe, and he didn’t want to embarrass Lucy in front of her new friend with his poor kitchen skills.

He checked the clock again. The timing was perfect.

It had been a hard day for him. Whenever he wasn’t fully concentrating on his work his thoughts were filled with pictures of the previous day and of Rose saying yes when he’d asked her to marry him. They had agreed to wait to set an actual date, but the idea of being engaged to Rose, of her wanting to be his wife, of being her husband, had brightened his day. He wasn’t sure how ridiculous his grin had been. Was.

The only thing to cast its shadow over things was the fact that Rose might not be able to have a baby. Although he had five children of his own, having a baby with Rose would be thrilling. If the doctors were wrong and they were able to, they would certainly want to wait a while. He didn’t want any of the bairns to feel as though they were being replaced. They’d want to make sure that they were ready, and willing, to accept a new brother or sister.

He could understand Rose, however. She would be a great mother. He’d seen her with his children in the summer, and she’d been wonderful. It had been the holidays, of course, so everyone was relaxed and on their best behaviour, but he had a feeling that she would manage every-day life with them just as well. The children loved her. She had won their hearts and respect during the awful time at the hospital. They trusted her and listened to her.

When, he wondered, would be the right time to tell them that he had asked Rose to marry him? Maybe they could tell them on Saturday; Evie and Lucy would surely notice the ring on Rose’s finger. He wondered if he should have asked the children first. But this was mainly about Rose and him… and he was over the moon that Rose had accepted him in the first place.

He was startled from his thoughts by the front door opening. Opting for friendly nonchalance, Dave washed his hands, dried them, and went out into the hall just in time to take the girls’ damp coats and put them up. Lottie had suggested she pick the boys and Evie up from school; she didn’t mind the walk in the wet and cold. If anything, the weather seemed to get worse, and he wondered when it would start to snow. It was far too early for that, but by current weather patterns they seemed to have a long and hard winter ahead of them.

If Dave had been nervous about meeting Lucy’s friend before, he was both reassured and even more nervous when he saw that the girl was Lily Innes. He’d had no idea she was going to school now. For some reason he’d assumed that she had returned to her own Time and Space by now. But then, Rose would surely have told him if she had. Dave tried to suppress the feeling of relief that she hadn’t succeeded. It was horrible for Lily, of course, and he felt ashamed of himself for thinking that way. The idea that there might be a safe way for Rose to return to her original universe terrified Dave more than anything.

“Hello, Mr Tiler,” Lily said, offering her hand.

Dave took it, and gave it a light squeeze. “Hello, Lily. It’s nice to see you again. And please, stick to calling me Dave.” He remembered that Lily had found a way around addressing him directly at the photo shoot.

“You’ve met?” Lucy asked in surprise.

“Yes. I took her photo a couple of weeks ago. How are you settling in?” he asked.

“Lucy is very kind to me,” Lily said. “And I’m glad I got into Orchestra.”

Lucy snorted. “We’re glad to have you.” She had told him how bad everyone was after her return from Edinburgh. He’d cautioned her at one point not to be snobbish.

Dave smiled. “Why don’t you go and change? The wee ones aren’t back yet. Lucy, please show Lily around, aye?”

“Sure, Dad. Come on!” Lucy took Lily’s hand, and bags in hand, they disappeared upstairs to Lucy’s room.

Dave would have to be extra careful not to open his mouth too wide in Lily’s presence. There were about a thousand questions he wanted to ask her, but as long as he didn’t know if Lucy knew who she really was, he’d have to keep her secret safe. There was no way he’d be able to talk to Lily in private and ask her how much Lucy knew. It was a pretty safe bet that all she knew was Torchwood's backstory for her.

He tidied up the kitchen and started to prepare the salad when Lily came to find him. She had changed from her school uniform into jeans and the blouse she’d worn the day she had come to the studio. She looked more beautiful than any of the other teenagers. He supposed that it came with her posture and the way she held herself, which was largely a result of her having to grow up so quickly as a result of the war. Being an orphan probably contributed to it too. “Is there something I can help you with?” Dave asked, closing the lid on the salad dressing maker firmly.

“Yes, Mr Tiler. I’d rather you didn’t tell Lucy about… where I’m from. Not yet,” she said. She addressed him so formally. Was it hard for her because of her upbringing, or was she letting him know that she intended to keep everyone at arm’s length, like Lucy had said?

“I can do that, but I hope you’ll understand that I don’t want to hurt Lucy. Things have been a bit difficult for us,” he said.

“I know, sir. And I’m very sorry for your loss. Donna told me,” she said. “Can I help you with anything? Set the table?”

Dave nodded thoughtfully. It wasn’t right that a stranger knew so much about his family but that she didn’t want Lucy to know anything about her. On the other hand he could understand why she didn’t advertise her history to all and sundry. Of course, she couldn’t possibly know they would be more than understanding and happy to support her.

“The kids know about Torchwood,” Dave said, passing her the plates. “They know what they do. They’d understand. About what happened to you.”

“They would?” Lily asked in surprise. She accepted the plates. “Why?”

“It’s a long story. Torchwood have helped us. I can assure you that your secret will be safe with us,” he said, deciding not to press her any further.

“Aye.”

Just then, the door burst open and in came Lottie with the wee ones. Evie was so excited about their visitor that she ran into the dining room with her shoes and coat still on. She brought a gust of fresh, cold air with her. “Hi! I’m Evie!” she said, pulling herself up to her full height in front of Lily. Lily crouched so Evie didn’t have to crane her neck.

“It’s nice to meet you, Evie,” she said.

“Are you staying for dinner? Can we play something later on? Dad? The game with the labyrinth?” Evie asked, her eyes wide with enthusiasm.

“Lily is Lucy’s guest, Evie. I’m sure they have a lot of things to talk about,” Dave said. “Now go take your boots and coat off and wash your hands. Tea will be ready in a minute.”

“Can we?” Evie insisted.

“I’d like that,” Lily said, looking to Dave for help, who nodded, and finally Evie skipped away.

“You didn’t have to say that.”

“I’d really like to play with them, though,” Lily insisted. “Glasses?”

Dave pointed at the cabinet behind her, and Lily busied herself with the glasses. He had the impression that what Lily wanted was more than just Lucy’s friendship. She craved the warmth of family life, of an ordinary, peaceful life, and he couldn’t blame her, not after all the things she’d been through. She needed the feeling of security. He wondered how long Lily would insist on keeping her secret. Evie was practically smothering her with affection already.

The boys, of course, were a bit more reticent, but to them Lily was just another 15 year-old girl, another of Lucy’s friends they’d see once or twice and then forget about.

Oh Lucy, Dave thought. He wanted her to make friends, and he liked Lily. He just wasn’t sure how long Lily was going to stay, and he didn’t want to see Lucy disappointed when she had to leave.

“Oh, there you are,” Lucy said, as she came skipping down the stairs.

“I was thirsty,” Lily said, holding up an empty glass she’d just gotten out of the cupboard.

-:-

Lily relaxed during tea, and, just like she’d promised, she agreed to play a round of the board game with Evie. The others joined in, and so they were all sat around the small coffee table in the parlour, playing the game. They had so much fun that even the boys grumbled when Dave told them after three rounds that the game was finished now. The children disappeared upstairs and left Lottie and Dave in the parlour, clambering onto the sofas from their seats on the floor.

“Would you like a glass of wine, Lottie?” Dave asked. He’d never asked her before; it hadn’t felt right. But it had been such a lovely evening and he didn’t want to exclude her from a simple pleasure like having a glass of wine.

“Oh yes, I’d love one,” she said.

When he returned to the parlour with the two glasses, she was playing the piano. It was so wonderful to see it being used again, and not only for Ewan’s lessons. Sometimes he wished he could play too, but his home were the visual arts. Lottie stopped playing to accept the glass and made herself comfortable on the other sofa.

“I met Miss Redfern today,” she said.

“Oh, and what do you think of her?” Dave asked.

“She’s nice and bubbly. She’s great with the children. But there’s something about her eyes that won’t leave me alone,” she said. “It’s probably just me, being silly.”

“I wouldn’t say that. Can you explain what it is?”

“Well, her eyes are gorgeous, a very deep, warm blue. But they seem… ancient in a way. Not like an old lady’s, more like… a person who’s seen many things.”

“Wise?”

Lottie shrugged, sipping her wine. “She’s too young for that. She looks like an elf. Very beautiful.”

Dave smiled. “It’s parents’ night next week, so I’ll get to meet her myself. I’m curious to know about this woman who has enchanted Ewan so.”

“I’ve had a letter today, from the School of Art,” Lottie said after a while. “I’m on the course.”

“Congratulations! That’s great!” Dave said. “You really deserve to get in. You’ve put so much hard work into your portfolio.”

“What about you? Have you finished selecting the photos for the exhibition?”

Dave ducked his head. “We got a bit carried away yesterday. Rose’s trip to London wasn’t easy.”

“Oh. Was it Torchwood business?” Lottie asked.

“I think so. The Heritage Trust Fund wouldn’t have left her so upset,” he mused, swirling his wine. Of course, he had upset her too by proposing to her, which had led to their discussion about babies. He sighed.

“I’m sure she’ll open up soon. If she can,” she said.

He looked up. “Do you reckon she’s protecting us from something?”

Lottie shrugged. “From what I’ve gathered, it’s her job, isn’t it? She protects the world from itself — what it isn’t ready for yet.”

Dave rubbed his hand over his face. It might, of course, have to do with the fact that they still hadn’t found out why Lily had turned up in this universe, and how they could send her back. He really needed to talk to Rose about this. She was taking Lily’s case personally, like she had the Illness. It was even more personal because she and Lily shared the same fate.

“Aye.”

“You don’t like it.”

“It’s not that. It’s that she can’t share the things she faces with me that I don’t like. She has to deal with the fear and the danger all by herself,” Dave said, finishing his wine.

“I’m sure that they have a chance to talk to someone at work,” Lottie suggested. “They looked after each other when we were there, so I don’t think she has to do things all by herself now either.”

Dave sighed. “I suppose you’re right. Still, I don’t like it.”

“It’d help if we knew what kind of case she’s working,” Lottie said.

Close to telling her about his suspicions, Dave chewed the inside of his cheek. “Aye.” He hated lying to Lottie, but he felt that despite his misgivings his first duty was to Rose’s wishes.

“I think I’d better go and check their homework,” he said, rising. He had decided to start an experiment at the beginning of the school year. The kids were allowed to do their homework in their rooms instead of at the kitchen table to give them the peace and quiet they needed to concentrate on their work. Apart from some difficulties at the beginning it worked well now, and when he checked on them he found that they were dutifully doing their exercises.

“Has Donna called yet?” he asked as he entered Lucy’s room. The girls were sitting on the bed facing each other, chatting.

“No,” Lily said. “Has she called you?”

Dave shook his head. As far as he knew, the plan was for Donna to pick Lily up on her way back from the hospital.

“You could sleep over!” Lucy suggested eagerly.

“Yes, why not? But let’s see if Donna’s just running a bit late,” Dave said, fishing his mobile out of his pocket. He quickly pulled up Donna’s number and connected the call.

“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” Donna said as she picked up. “I’m sorry I didn’t call you, Dave. Something’s come up at the hospital.”

“Oh.”

“Yes. There has been a major accident on the M8 and we’ve got a lot of casualties. Would you mind entertaining her a little while longer?”

“She could stay the night if that’s any help,” Dave offered.

“That would be great. Thank you, Dave.”

“Just tell me one thing. Do I need to be worried?” he asked.

There was a brief pause. “No, it’s a completely normal accident. The rain, you see. I’ll see you in the morning, yeah?”

“Aye.”

“I will. Say sweet dreams to Lily for me.”

-:-

It was long after midnight when Lily joined him in the kitchen. He had poured himself another glass of wine after he’d nodded off on the sofa for a short while. Finding it impossible to go to sleep again, he’d set up his computer on the kitchen table to work on some of the, as of yet, untouched photos from the Emptiness Folder. There were some he had ignored for no apparent reason, and if he worked on them he might find some more suitable pictures for the exhibitions.

“Oh, hello,” he said, looking up when the floorboards creaked.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. Is it okay if I get myself a glass of water?” Lily asked. She didn’t look sleepy at all. Tired, yes, but not ready to go to sleep.

“Sure, go ahead,” he said, mussing his hair with his hands. He checked the time on the screen. It really was late, but he didn’t want to be rude. “Would you like some hot milk?”

“Please don’t bother, sir,” she said, sipping her water. He gestured for her to sit, wondering when she’d drop the formality. She was in her pyjamas, it was gone half one.

“Is it the unfamiliar room that is keeping you awake?”

“No. It’s the quiet,” she said, rolling the glass thoughtfully between her palms. “I didn’t spend that many nights in the city.”

“Well, I suppose it’s such a horrible experience, it’s bound to leave its marks,” Dave said. Then he laughed. “Look at me. I have no idea what it must be like, and still I give you advice.”

“No, it’s all right, sir,” Lily said, taking another swig. “It’s like you said, I can’t seem to get the sounds out of my head. And it’s… when I came here, I was… well. I thought I was going to die.”

“I’m so sorry you had to go through something like that,” he said, biting his lip. And he’d thought not being able to say goodbye to Rita properly was bad.

“So Lucy and I have that in common. Only she tells me she’s got two fathers. She’s very lucky,” Lily said.

“D’ye think?” Dave asked, swirling the wine in his glass. He’d never looked at it that way. He’d only ever seen Stuart as a threat, and his family as the posh, presentable version of her family.

“I think I’d like nothing more than to have my parents back,” Lily said softly.

He felt so helpless. Seeing Lily’s grief reminded him of his own, and what he’d learned about dealing with it, and helping his children deal with it. “Tell me about them. If you don’t mind,” Dave said.

“They were wonderful, each in their own way. But I suppose I got on better with Da,” she said, and she turned her gaze inwards. Dave was afraid of losing her, so he tried desperately to draw her out again.

“He was a doctor?”

“At the Royal Infirmary. He would have become a professor in a couple of years, you know, teaching young doctors,” she said, letting go of the glass to rub her thumb over her palm so firmly that her flesh turned white.

“Do you know if your family exists over here?” Dave asked.

Lily shook her head. “I mean, I know that there’s no one. Of course, Innes is a common name. I’m like Rose in that way. She told me that the Rose of this universe was a Yorkie. Can you imagine?” For the first time Lily laughed, really laughed. She had smiled for the camera, but it hadn’t reached her eyes. This smile, however, did, and her eyes lit up.

Dave laughed. “What? She’s never told me that story.”

“Would you help me find out more? I’m not sure where to look. Computers are still a bit new to me, and I don’t want to ask Lucy,” she said.

Dave considered the idea. He wasn’t sure if Rose would approve, but then he wondered what harm it could do to try and find out about her family. If it comforted her; he wasn’t sure he’d be happy to find out that his family never even existed Over There when he knew that other people had doppelgangers. Then again, he wasn’t sure he found the idea of who his doppelganger was very comforting. “You might learn more than you’d have liked to know,” he cautioned.

“I’ve thought about it for a while. I’m quite sure that’s what I want. I’d also like to see if our house exists here,” Lily said.

Dave could see why she wanted that. Seeing her home, even if it wasn’t hers, could give her some comfort. "Shall we start with your house? If you give me the address I can see if we can get a look at it on the Internet.”

Lily nodded and she gave him the address. He didn’t need to look it up. “It’s Rose’s house,” he said.

“What?”

“Rose bought the house when she moved here a few months ago,” he said, smiling. “I’m sure she’d be happy to show you around. It’s a lovely place.”

“I’d be able to see my room,” Lily whispered.

Dave chewed the inside of his cheek. He shouldn’t have raised the teenager’s hopes, but at least she’d be able to see the place, inside and out. Maybe it would also be a good idea for her to spend a night there. She needed a good night’s sleep badly, and he wondered how long she’d be able to keep going like this. The familiar surroundings might help her. He’d have to talk to Rose about this.

“Looking up your family might take a while,” Dave said with a pointed glance at his watch. “You should try to get some sleep.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t want to keep you. You’ve been working,” she said.

“I have, Miss Innes,” he said, trying to tease her a little. “Don’t worry, aye? Is there anything else you need? Feel free to take a glass of water upstairs.”

“I’m fine, thank you. Good night, sir.” She put the glass in the sink and went back upstairs on stocking feet.

Dave sighed, rubbing his hands over his eyes. The empty rooms could wait, he decided, saving his work and shutting the machine down.


	11. Ten

Ten

Rose stared at the Doctor. He lay in the hospital bed, his torn suit hanging neatly in the closet by the bathroom. The hospital gown made him look alien. He was very pale, but the cuts and bruises covering his body had already started to heal. Rose knew that he probably was in a healing coma, but his prolonged stillness unsettled her, recalling those awful hours after his regeneration when he’d lain, pale and in borrowed pyjamas, in her mother’s bed. She’d thought she’d lost him then.

She wasn’t going to lose him now, not when he had found a way through the walls of the universe. Not when they would finally get some answers and find a way to send Lily back home.

Rose shifted in her seat.

“Are you all right?” Dominic asked, not really startling her. He’d been hovering, checking the Time Lord’s life signs; well, monitoring them, really, because he had nothing more to go on than what Rose knew, which was relatively little. Tom had adjusted the software so it displayed the Doctor’s twin heartbeat. Dominic glanced at the monitor, detecting no change. As far as they were concerned, no change was good news; at least his condition was stable. Whatever his condition was.

Earlier that day a few teenagers had found the Doctor in the same spot where Dave had found her and where Lily had turned up. He had been unconscious when they found him, and by the time the Torchwood team had arrived on the scene, and still was when the Torchwood team had arrived.

Rose was sure that there was something special about that spot; it must be a weak patch in the fabric of Space and Time, maybe even a tear. They had set up an extra CCTV camera there to monitor the mostly abandoned area more closely.

“Rose?” Dominic asked. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah. Sorry, I’m a bit lost in thought,” she said, sitting up straight.

Dominic passed her a mug of coffee. Rose had stopped counting after her fourth, but accepted this one anyway. “What time is it?” she asked, sipping the hot drink. She had so much caffeine in her system already that another mug wouldn’t make any difference. She wanted to be with the Doctor when he woke.

“It’s gone half eleven. Can’t blame you,” Dominic said. “He’s easy on the eyes too.”

“Told you he looked like Dave,” Rose said, smiling. Dave. She hadn’t called him, and now it was too late. She still needed to figure out what to do about their visit she and Dave had planned for the next day. She hated the idea of cancelling, but she also didn’t want to leave the Doctor’s side.

“That you have, love, but I must admit I didn’t think they’d be quite so similar. They’re like twins,” he said.

“Meaning he doesn’t look alien,” Rose said.

Dominic shrugged. “I’ve never seen a binary vascular system. And his body temperature… Is it supposed to be this low?” He took the Doctor’s temperature with a small digital device and held it out for Rose to read the display. Eight degrees centigrade seemed a bit low. She reached out to wrap her fingers around the Doctor’s slack hand. It was cold to the touch, and she thought she remembered it being like this after he regenerated, but she couldn’t be sure because she’d been all over the place.

“I suppose so,” she said, sighing.

“You should eat something. Frankie has made curry. It’s a mean curry,” he said. “Don’t worry, I’ll stay with him and I’ll call you as soon as he so much as bats an eyelid.”

“Thanks,” Rose said, not moving.

Dominic sighed. “Would you at least have a sandwich here?”

She smiled up at him. “That would be lovely.” She wasn’t hungry, and she didn’t feel like eating at all, but Dominic was so nice she wanted to humour him.

Rose had to keep reminding herself that the man in the bed before her wasn’t Dave but the Doctor, the man she’d thought she’d lost forever. The man whose loss she had mourned but never really gotten over. She’d have given anything to get back to him — she had given everything. And just when she had let him go and found happiness again, he turned up, battered and beaten, in a dodgy part of Glasgow in her universe. He’d done the impossible and returned to her. But what price had he paid? She had nearly died getting back to him. And here he was, still and pale.

She let go of his hand, lifting the mug to her lips

“Tea,” she said. “We could try that. He said it helped him after his last regeneration.”

Dominic shrugged. “I don’t see why we shouldn’t.”

“Thank you.”

He gave her shoulder a squeeze, then left to make some tea.

“Where did you leave the TARDIS?” she asked the Doctor. They had searched for the blue phone box but hadn’t found it. Mickey had gone off to check the city’s two phone boxes that hadn’t been demolished. There was the one in Buchanan Street, and the one near the cathedral, but both of them sat empty and in a questionable state of repair.

“What happened to you?” she asked, shifting forward to sit on the edge of the seat so she could reach the lock of hair that was falling into his forehead; it must be tickling him. If it did, he didn’t let on.

A quarter of an hour later, Dominic returned with the tea. It had cooled down, and he’d made it sweet and blonde. Rose put her mug on the Doctor’s bedside table and sat on the edge of his bed, slipping a hand beneath his head to feed him the tea. The tiny sip poured over his mouth and down the side of his face, but some of it made it past the line of his lips. Rose wiped his cheek clean and gently lowered his head back onto the pillow. Then she sat back in her chair to wait.

She woke with a start when someone touched her shoulder. It took her a while to realise that it was Dominic and not the Doctor touching her. “Rose, love,” he said. “It’s gone three. You should go to bed.”

“He’s not changed?” she asked, leaning forward to catch a glimpse of the monitor.

Dominic shook his head. “I’ll stay with him.”

Rose sighed. “Yeah. Thank you.”

-:-

When it was time to leave to get things ready for her guests the Doctor still hadn’t so much as moved. Both his heartsbeat and his temperature were stable, and Mickey urged her to leave and spend the afternoon with Dave and the children. “I promise we’ll call you when he wakes,” he said, shoving her out of the infirmary.

For the first time since the Doctor had turned up in this universe, she laughed. On her way home she stopped to get some groceries and the ingredients for her favourite chocolate cake. It was a quick and easy make and would be done by the time they were due, giving her a chance to shower and change. Making the cake would also help her to get her mind off the Doctor for a while.

She’d need to find a way to tell Dave. She was afraid of his reaction to the news. He had felt like a consolation prize when she’d first told him that he was the spitting image of the man she had loved. She couldn’t blame him. It had been only natural for him to think that he was a substitute, but in time he had trusted Rose when she had told him that she had fallen in love with him for who he was, not for who he reminded her of.

As she pushed her trolley through the supermarket, picking the things she needed without really paying attention, she thought that she didn’t want Dave to be like the Doctor. He had given her more than the Doctor ever had been able to, and even though the Doctor had finally opened up to her Rose doubted that his love would be anything close to Dave’s. She had a feeling that despite everything the Doctor would always hold back, never give himself fully to her. Dave had shared the Emptiness Folder with her, had done so very early on in their relationship. What was more, he had also trusted her with his children, and, when things went pear-shaped, even with his oldest son’s life.

She stared at the ring glinting on her finger. She had slipped it back on as soon as she’d left Torchwood. Taking it off as she’d got out of her car the previous morning had made her feel guilty in a way, but she wasn’t ready yet for the others to know that she and Dave were getting married. She wanted to treasure that idea for a while, to keep it to herself, just like Dave and she had lived in a bubble for a while. Dave had accepted her request to keep their engagement secret for the time being, even from the bairns.

Dave pulled into the drive behind her car just as she’d put on the kettle. There was a tour of the house first, of course, and the children were amazed at the size of it and the many empty rooms. Their own home was a bit cramped, but it was full of life and warmth. Dave was loath to change anything about it, but they really needed more space now that the children were growing up. Rose had already offered him shelter in her house for as long as the construction would take. It was just a question of time until she moved in with them. He had already found an architect and commissioned her to come up with an extension.

They had cake and tea and looked at the scrapbook, two children on either side of her on the sofa and Dave sitting in an armchair he had pulled up from her reading nook in the bay window. They looked at the photos, trading memories of the past summer. Once Rose thought Lucy had noticed the ring on her finger, but apart from a brief flicker of pleasant surprise the girl didn’t let on. She seemed to understand that if her father and she wanted them to know they would have told them. Rose caught her eye and winked at her.

When Lucy was helping her in the kitchen a while later, she said, “I’m so happy for you.”

Rose looked at the ring and held out her hand for Lucy to inspect it. “You aren’t… mad?”

“Because Dad never married Mum?” Lucy asked. “She wouldn’t have married him.” The answer surprised Lucy as much as it did Rose. It seemed a sudden and very mature insight. Rose wondered if it was hard for Lucy to admit that.

“I won’t tell the others,” Lucy said.

“Thank you,” Rose said and drew her into her arms. “How’s Lily settling in?”

“Why do you ask?” Lucy asked in surprise.

Rose bit her lip. So Lucy had no idea. “Well, Donna told me she’s attending your school now and that you’re in Orchestra together.” As far as the public was concerned, Lily had moved in with her godmother after her parents’ tragic accident.

“She loves playing the cello, and she’s really good at it. I’m jealous,” Lucy admitted. “I really like her. She’s… different from all the other girls.”

“I was hoping you’d like her,” Rose said. “I suggested the school to Donna, but I wanted you to decide whether to get to know her. I hope you don’t mind.”

Lucy looked at her for a moment, torn between indignation and gratitude. She realised, however, that it really had been up to her to make that decision, and eventually her expression turned into a smile. “It worked. Thank you.”

“Now, shall we get back to the others?”

-:-

Anna still hadn’t forgiven Rose for the pap incident, and she showed no sign of backing off. Rose sighed inwardly when Anna came to pick up the children for tea, but at the same time she grinned. If Anna knew that Dave had proposed to her she’d be furious. Rose made it a point to hide her left hand.

“Hello, Anna. It’s so kind of you to take the kids for the night,” Rose said as she stepped aside for her to let her shelter from the dreich weather.

Anna hesitated for a moment, but followed her invitation eventually. Her need to be out of the cold and rain won out over her anger.

“Dave told me your family’s lawyers were successful,” she said, sounding anything but satisfied or even relieved.

“The pap in question certainly won’t take any photos any time soon, and as for the others, well, they’ve been reminded of what can happen if they ignore the rules. Sometimes you have to make a necessary sacrifice,” Rose said.

“It’s still not right.”

Rose smiled. Talking sense to her was fighting an uphill battle. She wondered how many hoops Anna would make her jump through before she accepted her. Suddenly Rose understood why Dave had agreed so readily to her request to keep mum about the marriage.

After Anna and the children had left — she’d drop the girls off at Beattie’s for the night — Rose went to join Dave in the parlour. He had cleared the rest of the debris away and put some more wood on the fire. He drew her into his arms as soon as she settled on the sofa next to him. The children had made a second, smaller scrapbook for her to keep, and she brushed her fingers over it in appreciation before she put it on the table behind the sofa.

“That was a lovely afternoon,” she said. “Thank you.”

“I haven’t done anything,” Dave said, kissing her. “Yet.” He grinned, and she kissed him. She remembered the events of the previous day and her trip to London then, and there was no way she could keep this from him any longer without hurting him.

“What is it, my love?” he asked, sensing that something was bothering her. Rose felt bad. He’d probably imagined the evening and night going differently.

“There’s something I need to tell you, Dave,” she said.

“Oh.”

Rose remained silent, wondering how to tell him now that she’d finally gathered her courage. She could see the wheels clicking behind his forehead and she scolded herself for putting him on tenterhooks like this. His imagination must be providing him with all kinds of scenarios.

“Remember the sun room at the house?” She was referring to their photo shoot, to the room where he’d broken down over Paul the teddy bear and Tony’s toy car. “There was a crack on the wall.” There were probably many cracks in the walls of the house, but that one had stood out because the wallpaper had come off the wall, revealing it for them to see.

“Aye.” He started to caress her arm to let her know she had his full attention.

“Well, it’s not dangerous, is it? Glasgow, you see, sits on such a crack, only we call it the Rift. It’s a crack in Time and Space, and it’s our job to monitor it. Most of the time, it’s harmless. But the Crack is… well, we think it’s not just about Time and Space. It might involve different Times and different Spaces,” Rose said. “We have yet to prove that theory.”

Dave blinked. “Are you talking about different universes?”

“Yes.”

“So the Wall separating universes, your white bedroom wall, it has a crack?” he asked carefully.

“Yes.”

He closed his eyes. “So passing from this universe to another one might be possible?”

“Yes.”

“And it’s dangerous even though you monitor it,” he concluded. He had to take this one piece of information at a time.

“If it widens it’ll destroy the universes that are wall-to-wall,” Rose says. “London Office reckons that the bad weather up here is caused by it.”

It was obvious Dave didn’t quite understand how a crack in a wall could possible affect the weather or even the climate, but he’d learned to trust her when it came to freak phenomena like this. “I suppose I didn’t want to know that. Can you fix it? With Space-Time plaster?”

“No. Only a Time Lord can do that,” she said.

“But there are no Time Lords in this universe, right?”

She remained silent.

And then he understood. “Oh.” She needed the help of a Time Lord. And she’d only find one in the other universe. Her universe. She’d have to walk between the worlds to find a Time Lord and get him to help.

“The Doctor is the last of his kind,” Rose said, shifting away from him.

He felt as if his heart stopped beating at all. “Do you know where he is? Can you find him?”

“You don’t find him. He finds you.”

Dave rubbed his hands over his face, trying to process the information. “Are the children in any danger?” he asked.

“No, I don’t think so,” she said. “Dave.” She cupped his face to make him look at her. “You know that I love you very much, yes?”

“Aye.” He sounded cautious, ready for her to tell him that they couldn’t be together. That she was going back to her original universe to find the Doctor and fix things.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

He smiled, taking her hand and planting a kiss inside it. “So what are you telling me? Hmm? You’re scaring the daylights out of me, Rose.”

“The Doctor has found me,” she said.

“What?”

Rose explained to him what had happened, and about the Doctor lying, unconscious, in the Torchwood infirmary.

“So the knight in shining armour has finally turned up, only he’s turned Cinderella on you?” Dave asked in disbelief. “If this weren’t so serious I’d laugh.”

“Thank you,” Rose said, smiling. “For not laughing.”

“So he’s still unconscious?”

“I haven’t heard from Mickey. He promised to call when the Doctor’s awake,” Rose said.

“There’s one thing I’d like you to promise, Rose,” Dave said eventually.

She nodded for him to go ahead.

“Promise me to listen to your heart when you need to make any decisions in this case,” he said. He didn’t even ask her to honour the promise she’d already given him, or consider the children. Unsure what to make of this — fatalism, resignation, trust, whatever it was — Rose took his hand.

“I’m not going anywhere, Dave. I belong here now.”

“Don’t you miss it, travelling through Time and Space?” Dave asked. “It must be so exciting.”

“That it is. But… all that running, it gets exhausting. And not only in the physical sense. He never stops to think, to remember,” Rose said. A few months ago it would have pained her to say these words, but she had realised that the running was the most dangerous thing of all, and that in the end she would not be strong enough.

“You mean it.”

“Yes.” She tried not to be offended.

“Would you tell me about travelling with him?” he asked.

Rose nodded. And she began to stop to think and to remember.


	12. Eleven

Eleven

Dave lay awake for a long time after Rose had fallen asleep. At one point, she had rolled away from him, and he moved to lie on his side to look at her, his head pillowed on his arm. In the feeble ambient light he could see the faint outline of the scars on her back, the dark valleys and bright ridges reminding him of photos of the moon his father had shown him when he was a little boy. He resisted the urge to trace the contours with his fingertips for fear of waking her. She hadn’t slept much recently and he knew she needed her rest.

He wasn’t sure what to make of the stories she’d told him of her travels with the Doctor. He envied her meeting Charles Dickens, but what she had told him about Jack, the rogue Time Agent, and what they’d seen happen to that poor boy in blitzed London had torn at his heartstrings. He didn’t even want to begin to picture what the child looked like with the gas mask growing out of his face. He had to admit that the technology responsible for the error was fascinating and wonderful, but it was also terrifying to think about what it must have done to the boy’s mother. Even now he couldn’t get rid of the image. He wondered if he could banish the horrific scene from his conscious mind by making art from it.

What had shaken him most was that he was reminded of how little he knew about Rose. He loved her, but when she told him about her life with the Doctor she seemed like a completely different person. She had been different back then; younger, insouciant and hungry for adventure, but he had sensed that, underneath it all, she had grown up as they ran, never stopping to look back. Dave wondered if there wouldn’t have come a point when Rose would have stopped travelling with the Doctor anyway, rather than being forcefully torn from him. Twice, if you counted the failed attempts with the Dimension Cannon.

She had tried to make a hole in the wall separating their universes. Was it possible that her attempts were responsible for the Crack? Dave didn’t dare ask her that because he didn’t want to offend her, and, really, what did he know about anything?

The Doctor had found his way back to her, and he was here now. For the second time, even, counting Evie’s first encounter. He decided to nick Evie’s drawing and show it to Rose. He wanted to be sure that it was the same man. But why would he turn up, unharmed at first and then disappear for three weeks only to return injured and unconscious?

Dave wasn’t sure if, given the chance, he would want to meet the Doctor. He had to admit, however, that he found the idea of a doppelgänger fascinating. It would be interesting, if unsettling, to see a version of himself, even if this version was not human. He had to keep reminding himself that the Doctor was an alien. They might look the same, but they were as different as could be.

He wondered what it must feel like for Rose, to suddenly have her lost love suddenly reappear.

He knew about the finality of death. But what would he do if Rita turned up one day? Or a version of her? Maybe there was a Rita Over There? How different would she be, without him? Would she be with Stuart? Evie, Ewan and Paul wouldn’t have been born. He couldn’t imagine a world without his children. A world without Rita, yes, because he was living that. But never without the children.

Rose sighed in her sleep, rolling to lie facing him, curling into him. Somehow, they managed to accommodate each other’s legs without her waking. Dave wrapped her in his arms and kissed her forehead. He couldn’t imagine a world without her either.

Her hand had come to rest just above his heart, and her warmth was soothing.

The way she had made love to him after they’d finally turned in had left him certain that she loved him, that he was all that mattered. He was ashamed for even wondering if that was about to change, now that the unconscious Time Lord occupied a bed in the Priory. 

He nuzzled her hairline and tightened his grip around her.

Rose moaned and sighed softly. “Dave,” she murmured in her sleep.

“Shshsh,” he said. “Go back to sleep, my love.”

For a while it seemed as if she had dozed off, but then she began to stir again.

“You can’t sleep?” she whispered.

He sighed. “No.”

“Is it about the Doctor?” she asked.

Dave exhaled; she knew him so well. He knew she would never invade his thoughts without asking. The fact that she could reminded him that she, too, was alien in her own way. He decided not to evade her since she’d sussed him out and she knew it. “Aye.”

Rose pushed at him gently so he lay on his back, and she snuggled up to him, her head propped up on her hand. He’d done it. He’d roused her from her much-needed sleep. “I’m sorry,” she said.

He smiled into the darkness. “You should go back to sleep, my love.”

“I can’t,” she said.

“Would you just hold me?” he asked, feeling suddenly shy to talk about his feelings. He had yet to sort through them himself to figure out which were real and which would just look silly in the light of day.

“Always,” she said, dropping her hand onto his chest and kissing his cheek. “I’m so lucky to have you. You make me so very happy,” she said.

“I do?” he asked, touched. He believed her. He just wasn’t sure he believed his fate, not after it had taken Rita away from him. If he were religious, he’d wonder if the Doctor had been sent to test their relationship. He was being ridiculous. He believed in fate but not in a higher being, whatever it might be called.

“Penny for your thoughts,” Rose said, tracing the contours of his face as she could see them with her fingertip.

“I’m just being silly. It’s the middle of the night and I’m a little drunk,” he said.

“Plus we’ve just had wonderful sex.”

“Mind-blowing,” he agreed, chuckling.

Rose laughed softly, and he drew her closer. “If I told you you made me so very happy too,” he began, “you’d just think I said it because you said it. But it’s true.”

“No,” she said. “And I’m very glad to hear it.”

“It’s not easy for me, the Doctor returning,” he said.

Rose was quiet for a while. What could she possibly say? “I don’t know what to do either,” she said eventually. “It reminds me of when he first regenerated. I felt just as helpless.”

“What happened?” he asked. He just couldn’t imagine how a mortally wounded Time Lord could change his whole body to twist out of the jaws of death, and it took him a while to wrap his mind around that concept. “What did he look like before he turned into me/created himself in my image?”

“Like a U-Boat captain, you know, close-cropped hair, face all plains and angles, enormous ears and nose. Steely blue eyes. He was attractive in an unconventional way,” she said.

“And that’s who you went for?” Dave asked, incredulous.

“He saved my life — yes, I know, there seems to be a pattern — but he also trusted me and took me seriously. To all the other men I’d only ever been a pretty blonde. But he saw beyond that. He saw that I was clever, and he gave me what I needed: confidence,” Rose said.

“I suppose I have to thank him for that,” Dave said.

“Would you like to meet him?”

Dave swallowed. “I’m not sure.”

“I’m not sure if I’d want to meet my twin either. Sometimes I’m glad the Rose in this universe was a Yorkie,” she chuckled.

“You met her?” Dave asked.

“When I was here for the first time, yeah,” she said. “I have no idea what’s become of her. I never asked Dad.”

“That must have been the weirdest thing ever,” he said.

“It wasn’t really. It was sad to see what my parents had turned out to be after Dad’s success. They weren’t really happy, at least they didn’t look like it.”

Dave hummed in agreement.

“Of course, I don’t know for sure and Dad doesn’t speak about her much so who am I to judge,” she said, biting her lip. For a moment Dave sensed another story lurking behind this one, but he didn’t want to press Rose. Besides, he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear another unsettling story from her, not that night anyway.

“So, when the Doctor regenerated, what happened?” Dave asked, returning to his earlier question.

“He fell into a healing coma. I had no idea what was going on. He’d never told me about regeneration, so I didn’t know what was happening. He just erupted into golden light in front of me and then there was this skinny, babbling man instead of the Doctor. It took me a while to recognise him,” Rose said.

“How did he come out of it?”

“Tea, and my cry for help,” Rose said. “I’ve already given him tea.”

“And?”

“Nothing.”

“What about a cry for help?” he asked.

“I don’t need help. Yet.”

“What would happen if the Crack widened?” Dave asked.

Rose considered her answer carefully. “I don’t think you want to know.”

“But it does warrant a cry for help?”

Rose nodded.

“How soon until things go pear-shaped?”

“I have no idea.”

“Well, then,” Dave said. “You’d better ask him for help soon, before it’s too late. I’m really quite fond of the idea of getting married to you.”

Rose chuckled again, but sobered quickly. “Yeah, so am I. I love you, Dave.”

He drew her towards him for a kiss, and as they deepened it he could feel himself harden against her stomach. He was almost disappointed when Rose let go of him to get a condom out of the drawer. He wanted her to wait because he wanted to spoil her a little, but then he remembered that she was very tired.

“Don’t you want to?” Rose said, looking pointedly at his half-hard cock.

“Oh, I do, Rose, but you need your rest.”

She smiled wickedly and kissed him. “Hmm, I was thinking I could help you along a little,” she said, licking her lips. “But I’d be just as happy to watch for a while.”

His eyes went wide. This was a completely new side to her.

“Dave?”

“I,” he swallowed, not knowing what to say.

She reached down to stroke him. He kissed her. He wasn’t sure he was ready to share quite such a private moment with her, not tonight when his feelings for her were all over the place. 

“I’m sorry,” Rose murmured against his mouth as she broke a gentle kiss. Her fingers were dancing along his shaft, sometimes joined by her palm. Her hands felt exquisite, and he began to feel less coy.

“It’s just a wee bit too soon for that,” he said in hushed tones.

Rose nodded and gave him a squeeze. “Tell me what you would like to do.” She sounded a bit sleepy, but he knew that she wouldn’t take no for an answer. 

“Lie on your side,” he whispered, and as she did, with a raised brow and a smile, he rolled the condom on. “I want to rock you to sleep.” 

Spooning up behind her, he slid his fingers between her legs, cupping her mound first. He was surprised by her wetness, but he didn’t dwell on what had turned her on so much. She lifted her leg to grant him better access and he caressed her for a while, whispering to her softly. Rose relaxed, and when she pleaded with him, he aligned his cock with her and with a slow movement sank himself deeply inside her. He nearly didn’t hear her moan as he was overwhelmed yet again by how wonderful making love with her was.

“Don’t move,” Rose said, reaching behind her to lay a restricting hand on the side of his bum. “You feel amazing.”

He nuzzled her shoulder, stroking her breast and playing lazily with her pert nipple. “I love you, Rose.” Then he set a slow rhythm, rocking against her with long slow strokes. He wanted this to be about her. 

At one point Rose rolled to lie prone and he nearly slid out of her, but he shifted to cover her body with his. He covered her hand to check if she was still awake. She had gone very still, and he didn't want to make love to her when she wasn't aware of it. Then she pushed her fingers through his. “Please, Dave. I want to come.”

He knew Rose loved it when he pushed into her from behind. He could reach spots deep inside her, highly sensitive spots that sent her into ecstasy. The ripples of her muscles brushed exquisitely over the tip of cock and he was ready to let go in no time, but he wanted Rose to crest first. Sliding one hand beneath her, he brushed her clit a few times with his fingers, not expertly given the awkward position, but it was enough for her to push up against him as she came and her fingers tightened around his.

The ripple of her muscles brought on his own orgasm moments later and he stilled inside her, her name pouring from his lips in a constant stream. She gave him a few squeezes and he moaned as she prolonged his pleasure a bit. Then he covered her body with his, enjoying the sticky heat and the rise and fall of her back beneath him. Kissing the side of her face, he slid carefully out of her to clean himself up.

She was beautiful as she lay prone, the cold ambient light making her damp skin shimmer like silk and her hair fanned out in a mess on the pillow. He dropped a line of kisses down the sweeping line of her back and on her bum before he drew the duvet over them. She was asleep already, and he found that rocking her to sleep had cleared his mind. As he lay beside her on his side, his arm draped over her waist, he thought how happy he was before he dozed off.

-:-

When he woke the next morning, Rose was gone.

Dave rolled to lie on his back, blinking in the wan light. Rain was pattering against the window and he wished he could stay in bed all day. He hoped that whatever crisis Rose had to attend to was one that involved warm, dry interiors. The idea of her hunting some alien in the cold and wet, or, worse, the mud, made him shiver in the warmth of her bed.

Turning his head, he checked the time.

It was gone nine. He was thinking he ought to be back at home with the children, making them porridge and hot chocolate when he remembered that Anna had picked them up the previous day. The plan had been to take them to an adventure indoor pool somewhere near Edinburgh for the day.

It was just his luck that Rose was called away when they had the day to themselves. Yawning, Dave decided to take a shower and make himself some breakfast and wait for Rose to call him.

Just as he was on his second cup of coffee — he had finished a few sketches for last-minute additions to the _Emptiness Folder_ — his phone hummed in the pocket of his jeans. It was Rose.

“Good morning, my love,” he said.

“Good morning,” she said.

“Are ye warm?” he asked.

“I’m at the Priory,” Rose said, chuckling. “So yes, I am warm. How did you sleep?”

“Couldn’t you tell?”

“I left at four in the morning. I was still half-asleep,” she said.

Dave checked his watch. It was half-past ten. He sighed. “You don’t get much sleep these days, do you?”

“I have it on good authority that sleep is overrated,” Rose said, but it seemed to be a private joke that he didn’t understand. “The Doctor... He doesn’t need much sleep.”

“Is he awake now?” he asked.

“Yes. Yes, he is,” Rose said. “It’s why I had to leave.”

 _He calls and she comes running_ , Dave couldn’t help thinking. “Do you know more about what happened? About the Crack in the Wall?”

“Yes,” Rose said. “I thought it was my fault, but it turns out it isn’t. I was right after all. The Dimension Cannon would have been like... Like scratching a bit of mortar out of the wall to let a shaft of light through.”

“But I don’t suppose that’s good news, going by the way you sound?” he asked. Her desire to get back to the man she loved was understandable. He would have given anything to get Rita back, but he knew it just wasn’t possible. Rose had seen the impossible happen, and he couldn’t blame her for trying to prove this impossible wrong as well. For the first time the lengths she'd gone to scared him. He had been grateful to her for helping Paul, and if the Dimension Cannon hadn’t backfired, he wouldn’t have met her. But the recklessness behind her determination was a force of its own, and it was only now that he realised it, and she probably did too. They would have a lot of soul-searching to do once this was over.

“Well, if it was me, we’d know how to fix it,” she said.

“But you don’t know what caused the Crack?”

“Not yet, no,” she said.

“Can you promise me one thing?” he asked.

There was a brief silence before she said, “Go on.”

“Be safe. I cannot lose you,” he said, knowing full well that he was asking the impossible. She would fight, she would put things to rights. _Think of the children_ , he wanted to add, but chewed the inside of his cheek instead. “I love you, Rose.”

“I love you too. And I’m sorry for spoiling your morning,” she said. 

“I’m working on the _Emptiness Folder_ ,” he said. “I’ll make the most of the day off. I don’t suppose I’ll see you later on?”

“I’m afraid not, no,” she said. “I can’t wait to see what you come up with.”

“The _Empty Child_ ,” he said. “I’ll call it the _Empty Child_.” He hadn’t thought about it, really, but now the title seemed obvious, and perfect.

“It sounds chilling.” 

“It is. It’s from the story you told me yesterday,” he said.

“Oh. Jamie,” she said softly. “I shouldn’t have told you that story.”

“Don’t worry about me, Rose.”

“It’s my job now, isn’t it?” she said. “I’ve got to go, but we’ll talk later, yeah?”

“Aye,” he said, disconnecting the call.

Dave finished his coffee while he completed some of the sketches. Not knowing what to do with himself on this _dreich_ day, he selected a book from Rose’s library and settled on the sofa in the parlour after he had rekindled the fire. He hadn’t sat down with a book in a long time, and he was in need of an escape that didn’t involve photos or the word empty in any shape.

He was halfway through the third chapter when his phone rang. Startled from the fictional realm, he dropped the book onto his chest and dug awkwardly for his phone. He didn’t recognise the number and was about to disconnect the call. For some reason, however, he picked up anyway.

“Hello?”

“Mr Tiler? It’s Lily. Innes. Lucy’s friend?”

“Lily, hi,” he said.

“I was wondering if I could talk to you. About... well...”

He wondered why she was calling him of all people. Donna or Rose would be so much better at the job. They would be able to answer all her questions. But he supposed they were busy right now. “Would you like to come over? We could have lunch together. Have you eaten?”


	13. Twelve

Twelve

It was fortunate that the streets were almost empty that time of night. Rose drove fast but not recklessly so as not to rouse the attention of the police. The last thing she wanted to deal with right then were officious and bored policemen, out spoiling for trouble with those on their way home from a night out clubbing. Torchwood and the Glasgow police were still getting used to each other. What made things worse was the fact that Rose shouldn’t be driving — she was exhausted and she’d had some wine. But the Doctor was awake and she couldn’t wait to see him. Part of her felt bad for leaving him at the infirmary, but then the street lights caught in the diamond on her finger and she knew that she had made the right decision by going home to be with Dave.

Seeing the Doctor again was like seeing an old friend, Rose realised. While she still loved him, she knew she had let go of him. She’d finally moved beyond the overwhelming grief she felt at losing him, thanks to Dave and the children. After all these years she had finally begun to build a happy and successful life. She hoped that the Doctor had moved on too — he would be devastated if he asked her to go with him and she said _No_. Part of her hoped he wouldn’t ask.

Thankfully, she arrived at the Priory safely. It had taken her about a quarter of an hour to get to Muirbank from her house. The weather was still ghastly, and she wondered why she hadn’t stayed in the safe, warm cocoon of her duvet, wrapped in Dave’s arms.

“He’s in the guest suite,” Dominic informed her as she swept into the foyer.

“Is he all right?” she asked, anxious.

“He’s a bundle of energy, your Doctor. Babbling a mile a minute and wearing a hole in the floor,” he said, smiling. He seemed exhausted.

“That’s him,” she smiled. “Go and get some sleep, love.”

“You sure?” He asked, stepping into the elevator after her.

“I’m probably one of the few people alive who know him,” she said. “I’ll be all right.”

Dominic bent to kiss her cheek. “Just wanted to make sure.” His protectiveness was very touching. “I travelled with him to the end of the world. Literally. And he saved my life,” she said.

He nodded as they parted company in the hall outside the two flats. Rose opened the door to the guest suite and as she stepped into the softly lit lounge she held her breath. The Doctor was in the kitchen area, tinkering with the kettle.

“It worked perfectly well the last time I used it,” she said.

The Doctor whirled around, pocketing his sonic screwdriver and tearing the glasses off his nose. His face lit up like Tony’s at Christmas. “Rose.”

She smiled.

He joined her in a few strides, taking the shortest route, which included climbing over the ranges of the sofa and the coffee table to envelop her in one of his crushing bear hugs. How she had missed them. “Rose,” he whispered, holding her close. “Oh, Rose.”

Rose squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to blink back her tears. She had been so determined in the car not to allow him to sweep her off her feet like this. And here she was, clinging to him as if to dear life, inhaling his scent of marble halls and molten wax. “Doctor,” she said. 

It was so good to hold him again.

They stood like that for a long time.

“I’ve missed you so,” the Doctor finally said, withdrawing just enough to be able to look at her. He brushed back her hair. “You smell...” His eyes went wide when he recognised it. Rose blushed. She hadn't taken the time to shower before she left. It was probably a good thing too. She’d have hated to wake Dave, and it sent a clear message to the Doctor.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

The Doctor took her hand. “I noticed this when you held my hand.” He inspected the diamond. “So you’re engaged.”

Rose nodded.

“He’s a very lucky man,” he said, bravely. As always, his tone was light, but his eyes betrayed his true feelings. They always had, in both bodies. She could see disappointment mixed with happiness for her warring in them. 

“I’m a very lucky woman.”

“Nah,” he said.

They laughed. Rose gestured for him to sit. She was exhausted although her body was pumping adrenalin through her system to keep her awake. She really should have stayed in bed with Dave. She needed to be able to think clearly.

“Are you travelling with someone?” Rose asked. “I’d hate for you to be alone.”

The Doctor nodded. “Donna. She’s brilliant. The most brilliant woman in the universe.”

“I thought that was me,” she said in a mock-pout.

“No. You are the woman I... Well. You know.”

Rose wanted to say that no, she didn’t know. He hadn’t changed. After all this time — how long had it been for him? — he still didn’t have the courage to tell her what he felt for her. Rose smiled lugubriously, but she didn’t reply.

Then she just had to ask. “Donna Noble?”

Again, the Doctor’s eyes went wide. “Yeah.”

“Well, this universe’s Donna works for Torchwood. Glasgow,” she added for his benefit. “She’s a doctor.”

The Doctor smiled. “And you’re with Torchwood too.”

“Yes. The Rift is here in this universe, not in Cardiff. Dad has made Torchwood all new,” Rose said, not without pride.

“Who’s the lucky man?” the Doctor asked.

“Dave. Tiler. He’s a photographer,” Rose said.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows. “Tyler?”

“With an i. It’s a coincidence,” she said. She bit her lip. He didn’t need to know that he looked like Dave. She was torn, really, about the two men meeting. She knew Dave wasn’t sure if he wanted to talk to the Doctor, and she didn’t want to give Dave the feeling that she sought the Doctor's approval of her choice of partner. 

She should have known. “I don’t believe in coincidences,” he said. 

Still, she kept mum.

“So. The Crack in the Wall,” he said, changing the topic to business. They were both safer that way. For once, she was grateful to him for ignoring the elephant in the room.

“I... tried to get through that wall. With a Dimension Cannon,” Rose said. “I think I might be responsible for the Crack.” She quickly explained to him how the cannon worked, and he listened with surprising patience.

“It’s not the Dimension Cannon,” he said eventually.

“It isn’t?” she asked.

“No.”

Rose closed her eyes and tilted her head backwards. The Doctor could be obtuse if he chose to. Rubbing her eyes, she looked at him. “How did you get here? What happened to you?”

“The fabric of Time and Space has worn thin in some places, and I suppose that the TARDIS tore through such a thin patch,” he said. “Crossing the Void isn’t particularly salubrious.”

“Tell me about it,” Rose muttered.

“What?”

She waved him off; there was no need to burden him with her plans for the future. “Your theory is flawed,” she pointed out.

“What?” he squeaked.

“If you were pulled through a hole in the fabric, then why did you turn up without the TARDIS and Donna?” she asked. “We’ve looked. They’re not here.”

The Doctor flopped back into the cushions. “Oh.”

“Are you sure it wasn’t my fault?” Rose asked.

“Yeah,” he drawled, rubbing his eyes viciously. If Rose didn’t know better she’d say he was tired.

“Well, we should set to work then. There’s the CCTV footage to go through,” she suggested. “It arrived before we called it a night.”

The Doctor opened his mouth to ask why they hadn’t analysed it at once, but he seemed to remember the tiny fact that humans needed their beauty sleep. “Shouldn’t you be with your fiancé?” he asked.

“I suppose I should, but we need to find out what happened to you. Clearly, something isn’t right, and since time seems to be of the essence I’d hate to waste it,” Rose said.

“You look tired,” he said.

Rose guffawed.

“What?”

“I used to have to remind you of my need for sleep,” Rose explained.

“Well.”

“You’ve changed,” she observed.

He looked at her sheepishly.

“What happened to you, Doctor?” she asked.

“You happened to me, Rose,” he said softly. “After I lost you... Well, I found Donna. And Martha. And then Donna gain.”

“You went back to ask someone to come with you?” Rose asked.

“I’ve done so before,” he said. “I came back to ask you a second time if I remember correctly.”

“Yeah, but it was like an afterthought. Correct me if I’m wrong, but Donna and Martha and Donna sounds like you went back for Donna,” Rose said. If he’d really gone back for Donna, she must be extra special. The Donna Noble Over Here certainly was an exceptional woman, both professionally and personally.

“She found me,” the Doctor said.

“Which is pretty brilliant,” Rose had to admit.

“Jealous, Rose Tyler?”

“No. Just amazed,” she said. Well, maybe she was just that little bit jealous, but then he had burnt up a sun for her. He loved her. But it was too late for that now.

“Ah.” He didn’t believe her.

“No, I mean it,” she said. “Look at how long it took Sarah Jane to meet you again.”

“Jack has found me loads of times,” the Doctor pointed out.

“For such a clever man, Doctor, you can be very thick.”

“What?”

“Jack set out to find you. He’s a rogue time agent. He knows how to attract your attention,” Rose explained. Her eyes went wide. “Do you think that’s what’s happening? Someone’s trying to attract your attention?”

The Doctor’s face lit up. “Possibly.” He did have enemies enough. It certainly didn’t make the puzzle any easier to solve. There were so many possibilities.

“Shall we?” Rose said.

The Doctor nodded, grinning enthusiastically. He seemed to enjoy the puzzle even more now that he knew she was involved, although she doubted that she alone would be much of a help. He needed _his_ Donna’s input as well. If she was really as brilliant as he claimed she was — and he’d never lie about something like that — she’d be working on a plan to get the Doctor back by now. 

He held out his hand for her and she took it. She had missed this. Him.

-:-

“Was that Dave?” the Doctor asked, fishing the tea bags out of their mugs. Rose pocketed her phone and joined him at the breakfast bar in the guest suite. They had been working for several hours before Rose realised what the time was. She felt exhausted in a good way. She didn’t mind working long or odd hours so long as they seemed to make progress. So far, however, they had only pinpointed the Doctor’s time of arrival in the Glasgow street and verified the teenagers’ story. Rose had typed up a quick report and emailed it to their liaison officer with the Glasgow Police to make sure that the teenagers wouldn’t get into any trouble. There was a bit of a gang problem and Rose wanted to make sure that the police got their hands on the right people. If anything, these boys deserved her thanks.

“Yeah,” she said.

“Tell me about him,” the Doctor said, standing facing her at the kitchen counter. He blew over his steaming mug of tea. After his tinkering, the kettle had clicked off in almost no time. Rose wasn’t sure yet if she liked it. The art of making tea involved time, and so did the art of enjoying it. Waiting for the kettle to boil was relaxing in itself.

“He found me after the Dimension Cannon failed,” Rose said. “He stayed with me until Mickey and the team arrived.”

“Is that why you thought it was your fault? The fact that you and Lily and I all turned up in the same spot?” the Doctor asked.

“It isn’t that far-fetched, is it?”

“No! No, it’s quite a brilliant idea too. Do you have any idea if anyone else turned up in that spot?” he asked.

“No. As far as I know no other inexplicable appearances have been reported to us, but I can always ask Tom and Blair,” she said. When the Doctor raised his eyebrow, Rose told him that Blair was their liaison officer with the police.

“You ought to ask at hospitals too,” he said.

“Donna’s on it. She has her assets all over the place.”

“Assets?” the Doctor chuckled. “You sound like a spy.”

Rose shrugged, grinning.

“Did you tell Dave about our travels together?” he asked suddenly. “I couldn’t help overhearing you mentioning Jamie on the phone.”

“Is that all right? He wants to know, and I’m glad to be able to tell him. I need the closure,” Rose said. “We never really talked about things, did we?”

The Doctor squared his jaw. “No, I suppose we didn’t.”

“Is it the same with Donna?”

He nodded.

“And with Martha?”

“She left because of it. I think,” the Doctor said. He ducked his head.

“They must be very strong,” Rose said.

He opened his mouth to say something but clicked it shut before his tongue got the better of him. Although she should have expected this to happen Rose was disappointed when he withdrew from her like this.

“How long have you known Dave?” he asked.

Rose smiled softly. “A few months.”

“And he’s asked you to marry him already?”

Rose shrugged. She felt bad for being so reluctant to answer his questions. Part of her wanted to tell him everything that had happened to her, but she didn’t want to hurt him by telling him just how happy she was. Because really, being stranded Over Here had been one of the best things to happen to her, but of course it had taken her a long time to realise it. The Doctor had not only given her a fresh start when he’d come back that second time to tell her his ship also travelled in Time, but he had given her a new life when he had kissed her to save her life.

“Donna was about to get married when I first met her. She turned up in the console room in her white dress,” the Doctor said. “I’m so sorry for what happened, Rose. I should have...”

“There was nothing you could do,” Rose said. 

He ducked his head. 

“We should get back to work,” she said.

“Does it ever stop raining?” he asked, casting a glance at the rain-streaked window.

“We had a lovely summer. The weather’s been like this for a while. Dad reckons it’s related to the Crack.”

“What?” the Doctor asked, perking up. “What other atmospheric disturbances are there?”

Rose’s heart skipped a beat. As far as she knew the bad weather was the only environmental abnormality that had come up lately. “I’ll check.” She yawned heartily.

“I’m sure that Mickey will be able to help with that,” the Doctor said. “Why don’t you go and have a shower and a nap.”

Rose’s eyes widened. She didn’t know this side of him; he had changed in the past few years. “How long has it been for you?” she asked.

“Not long enough,” he sighed. “I’m sorry, Rose.”

“There really is no way, is there?” she asked, biting her lip. “Except what’s going on right now?”

The Doctor took her hand and brushed the pad of his thumb over the diamond. “No, there isn’t.”

She took a deep breath. “I won’t leave him,” she whispered.

“Quite right too,” he said, his eyes tearing up. “Now go.”

Rose was amazed how easily the words had come. It wasn’t that her heart hadn’t broken for the Doctor. She wanted to hug and hold him, but for her it had just been too long, and she wasn’t sure if she could have kept fighting for the Doctor. There was no doubt about the fact that he loved her, but she was tired of him keeping her at arm’s length. “Yeah,” she nodded. He was still holding her hand. She gave his fingers an awkward squeeze and he released her.

It was only when the hot water cascaded down on her in the shower that she realised how tired she was. She should have stayed with Dave. Rushing away from him after their heart-to-heart and some of the most amazing sex she’d ever had must have disappointed him. She hated herself for being so inconsiderate and rushing off to work where her lost love was waiting. Leaving Dave behind was awful, but she’d have given anything that horrible day on Dålig Ulf Stranden to be able to say goodbye to the Doctor properly. She just couldn't miss that chance. In a way she had given anything — she just hoped that Dave would understand. It wasn’t as if she’d given him any choice. She had become a bit like the Doctor in that regard. She’d have to make it up to him.


	14. Thirteen

Thirteen

“Where’s Lucy?” Dave asked when he opened the door for Lily. He stepped aside so she could get in out of the rain, motioning to her to hand him her coat so he could hang it up to dry.

“I suppose she’s still at her grandmother’s,” Lily said. “I wanted to talk to you privately. If that is all right.”

“Oh,” Dave said. “Sure.” He indicated a spot where she could leave her sodden boots. Then he gestured for her to precede him into the parlour. He shook his head gently when he realised how formally he was treating his daughter’s friend. But everything about Lily inspired genteel behaviour; after all, she came from an entirely different world. It was like meeting his teenaged grandmother. He’d always been particularly polite and good around his grandparents, although he now suspected that they’d have loved him anyway, if Beattie’s patience and love with the bairns was anything to go by. He wasn’t so sure about his father because he rarely saw his grandchildren, and the past months had been surreal.

Lily sat on the sofa facing him, wringing her hands. It was obvious that she still felt out of place. Dave wondered what he could do to make her feel better; what it was she wanted to talk to him about in the first place. “Would you like some tea? Or maybe coffee?”

She smiled. “No, thank you, Mr Tiler.”

That was another thing. Her addressing him so formally. 

“Dave. I’m sorry, I’m still not used to addressing adults so informally,” she corrected herself.

“Don’t worry about it. I know this must be hard for you,” he said.

“Everyone’s so nice to me, even though they do not know what happened to me,” Lily said. “It’s a bit overwhelming sometimes.”

“Did you think we future people would be rude?” he asked.

“No! No, I didn’t. I’m sorry, I...”

“It’s all right, Lily. It must be quite a shock. I can’t imagine what it must be like to be torn from an air raid into our world. Or vice versa. But you’re a wonderful young woman. You inspire people to be nice,” he said.

Lily blushed. “What is it you wanted to talk to me about?”

“Would you show me how to use a computer?” she blurted. 

“Ah, yes,” he’d forgotten about that. Dave could understand why she didn’t want to ask Lucy, yet at the same he knew his daughter would understand. “Why don’t you want Lucy to know who you are?”

“I don’t want to be the odd one,” Lily said. “I don’t want her pity.”

“If there’s one person who would understand what you're going through it's Lucy,” Dave said. He didn't tell her that he had lost his mother as a young lad too because she'd never believe him that he knew exactly how she felt. “After her mother died she didn’t go to registration because she couldn’t bear the sympathy. They were smothering her.”

“Didn’t she get into trouble?”

“Oh aye, she did,” Dave said, the memory making him blush slightly. “I’m ashamed of myself because I didn’t look after her better.”

The oven timer dinged. Dave and Lily moved to the kitchen so he could take care of the roast chicken and prepare the vegetables. “You cook?” she asked.

He shrugged. “Aye. It’s what we modern men do.”

“Sometimes I feel as if I am on a different planet.”

Strictly speaking she was, but Dave didn’t want to point it out to her. “It’s an undiscovered country.”

Lily laughed for the first time and Dave relaxed. It was good to see the tension melt off her. “We do love our Shakespeare,” he said, winking at her as he dropped the vegetables into the gently sizzling oil.

“I miss my Da,” Lily said as she watched him sauté the vegetables before he added spices and poured some hot water over them.

“Tell me about him,” Dave said, washing his hands at the sink.

“Well,” Lily began, “he is wonderful. _Was_ wonderful. He read to me when I was little and he’d take care of my skinned knees and my coughs. He taught me about music.”

“I’m sorry that you lost him,” Dave said. “Have you told Lucy?”

Lily shook her head.

“I lost my mother when I was sixteen,” Dave said.

“What about your father?”

“Oh, he’s fine. He’s up north, star-gazing, like Mum used to say. He’s an astronomer and a bit of a hermit,” he said. He wished he’d had as close a relationship with his Dad as Lily obviously had had with hers. He’d always been close to his Mum. But she’d died and he’d had to fend for himself for a while because his Dad became even more inaccessible. Their relationship had improved in time, when Dave had become a father himself and married Michelle. Much too soon.

“Dad was a doctor,” Lily said. “At the Royal Infirmary. Donna’s with them, isn’t she? And with Torchwood?”

“She helped save Paul’s life in the summer,” Dave said. “All the bairns know about Torchwood. I promise you can trust them, they won’t disappoint you. The worst that can happen is that they’ll pester the living daylights out of you.”

“And the best?”

“They’ll adopt you,” Dave said, checking the vegetables. “I don’t suppose you’d drink a bit of wine? A spritz maybe?”

“What is that?”

“White wine with some sparkling water,” Dave said. “Unless your parents...”

“They allowed me a glass for Christmas and for my birthday,” Lily said. “So I think it’s all right.”

“I think that letting Lucy have a sip every now and then will make drinking alcohol less of a secret or a taboo,” Dave explained as he prepared a spritz for Lily. 

They had lunch together, chatting about popular culture. Dave thought that they could learn from each other without having to be embarrassed. He only gave Lily one glass of wine and they had coffee after lunch. There wasn’t much left of the chicken he’d made, just a bit of breast that he’d use for chicken salad to go on the bairns’ sandwiches the next day.

“The rain's let up a bit,” he noticed as Lily did the dishes. She had insisted on doing them, so he had curled up on the old sofa in the kitchen’s dining area, worrying the inside of his cheek with his teeth. “What about a walk? I could do with some fresh air.”

“Can we go to the place where they found me?” Lily asked. “I’d like to see it in broad daylight.”

“Does it haunt you?”

Lily shrugged.

“Aye, why not. I believe there’s an antiques market in the area as well. We could have a look around there. The computer can wait until it starts raining again.”

“I’d love that.”

“Does Donna know where you are, love?” he asked.

“I’ve told her I’d be at Lucy’s place for luncheon, but I’ll leave her a message to tell her I’ll be staying longer,” Lily said.

They took the car. Lily didn’t have suitable clothing for a bike ride in this kind of weather, and going by the sky the dry spell was only that, a short break from all the unrelenting rain of the past few weeks. Driving meant he could take his DSLR camera as well. He’d intended to go back to the place where he had found Rose for a long time, so going out now was killing two birds with one stone.

“The buildings aren’t still empty because of the war, are they?” Lily asked as she fastened the seat belt.

Dave shook his head. “No, they’re just disused, that’s all.”

"It lasted longer here, didn’t it? The war?”

“Aye.”

They drove listening to some of Dave’s music on the iPod because of their earlier discussion. He’d suggested to Lily that it might be a good idea to ask her school mates about music and things like that because he was old and his tastes differed from what the charts suggested was cool.

The streets had been deserted lately. Even by Scottish standards the weather was very poor and most people decided to curl up in their warm homes. The business district in which Lily and Rose had turned up was usually deserted anyway. Dave hoped that they weren’t in for a bad surprise; who knew what kind of riffraff was out on a Sunday afternoon.

“Here we are,” he announced as he pulled up at the kerb.

They sat in silence for a minute.

“Don’t you want to get out?” he asked.

She nodded. “I’d like you to come with me. Please.”

Dave nodded, unbuckling his seat belt. The air was damp and cold, but it was also invigorating. They stepped into the narrow alley. It wasn’t anything special. There was the usual assortment of bins and dumpsters, along with haphazardly stacked crates and boxes and a wooden fence at the bottom. Dave was wondering what was so special about the place when he felt it. There was a faint crackling in the air, a soft tingling on his skin, but the overall sensation was hard to describe.

“Do you feel it too?” he asked Lily.

“Feel what?” she asked. He stepped further into the alley, and the feeling increased. He shivered. Suddenly he felt like he was moving underwater. It was like trailing something in his wake, or the actual movement being delayed by the fraction of a section from his perception of performing it. “We’d better —”

And then he felt a sharp tug behind his navel and he was jerked forward and whirled around. He closed his eyes to fend off the rising nausea as he was hurled through the air. He had no idea for how long he fell — for it was a falling sensation more than that of being pulled, as he’d thought at first.

He crashed into something solid with his shoulder, always his shoulder, and he slid down the pillar or strut feeling winded and utterly disoriented. It was like hitting the pole in the goal trying to save the ball. It had happened to him before, and he knew he’d be fine. He just needed a minute or so.

“Lily?” Rubbing his shoulder as he sat up. The room was filled with a strange but gentle humming sound. Or was it more like a throbbing, or a pulsing? The light was soft and gorgeous, a mixture of gold and turquoise unlike any he’d ever seen. He wished he’d brought his DSLR. But it was safely in his car and all he had was the small camera he kept in his jacket pocket. What _was_ this place?

“Who are you?” a familiar voice demanded to know.

“What?” he asked, rubbing the side of his head. He could already feel a lump forming just behind his ear. Luckily, his hair covered it.

“Who. Are. You?”

He looked up at Donna towering over him, backlit by the golden glow.

“Donna, what happened?” he asked, groaning. He climbed to his feet rather clumsily. She didn’t even offer him a hand, which he found more than a little strange. Bewildering. That was the word. He must have taken quite a blow to his head. Only the one to have suffered from it was Donna, not him.

“I’m not going to ask a third time,” Donna said, her voice tense and threatening.

Then it clicked. Donna really didn’t know him.

He blinked. “I’m Dave. Dave Tiler,” he said, steadying himself with the help of the strut — it was a strut, with a peculiarly porous texture.

“Where is the Doctor?” Donna asked sharply.

“Donna? Dr Donna Noble?” he asked. He needed to make sure.

“I’m not a doctor,” she scoffed. “I’m looking for him. Where is he?”

“No, no, you don’t understand. Aren’t you Dr Donna Noble?” he repeated.

She stared at him, and the stare turned into a glare. He shivered.

“As far as I know the Doctor is with Rose. At Torchwood,” Dave said.

“Jack’s there?” Donna’s — or whatever her name was — face lit up.

“I haven’t met anyone called Jack,” Dave said. “But I don’t know that much about Torchwood.”

Donna stepped closer to him, invading his private space to take him by the chin and turn his face this way and that to have a closer look. “You’re not the Doctor?”

He shook his head. “He’s at the Priory with Rose.”

“Rose Tyler?” Donna asked, letting go of him and taking a step backwards.

Dave nodded.

“How did you get here then?”

“I have no idea. I was in this alley with Lily, when suddenly. Oh no! Lily! Is she here?” he asked, reaching out for Donna’s arm.

“No, you’re the only one who turned up. Is Lily your daughter?”

Dave drew in a slow breath and exhaled just as carefully. “No, she’s a friend. Let’s hope she’s still in the alley. What’s your name?”

“Donna. Noble,” she replied.

“And where are we?”

“The TARDIS.”

“The Doctor’s ship?”

Donna nodded, and then she seemed to begin to understand what was going on.

“Oh.” He slumped backwards against the strut.

“You know about the Doctor?” Donna asked. “Where is he? Is he all right?” And then, finally, she stepped towards him to support him. 

The world went dizzy around Dave and his stomach reminded him of the fact that the tumble through the space separating the universes had not really agreed with it. He felt nauseous and then threw up all over the floor.

“Oh dear,” Donna said, helping him as he went to his knees. The floor was just some kind of grating, and hitting it with his palms and knees would have been quite painful, he realised as he carefully sat. He took the tissue Donna offered him to wipe his mouth.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry, love. She won’t take it personally.”

“She?” he looked up, bunching the tissue up in his fist.

“The TARDIS. Come on, let’s get you cleaned up a little,” Donna said, helping up. “We can talk about everything over a nice cuppa.”

“I need to get back. My children...” Dave began.

“Oh dear,” Donna sighed. “I’m sure they’ll be fine for the moment. 

Dazed, he followed her to a bathroom where he could rinse his mouth and wash his face; she left him to make the tea, and as he brushed his teeth he realised that he was in Rose’s original universe. The Doctor’s universe. Only the Doctor was on the other side now, on his side. The only one to see what had happened was Lily, and he hoped she was thinking on her feet and alerted Rose as soon as possible. 

The children would be fine for now, but he didn’t dare think of what they would have to go through if he... Hadn’t Rose told him that time in Pete’s World — as she’d called his universe — passed a bit faster? Surely, you’d barely notice it over the course of a few days. But what if he had to stay longer? How was he to get back if the Doctor was stuck on the wrong side of the Wall?

Running his hands through his hair he suppressed another wave of nausea. Then he washed his face and dried it with one of the fluffy towels provided.

The door on the other side of the hallway was open as Dave left the bathroom. He looked up and down the corridor. It looked like the corridors of spaceships he’d seen in films, but the difference was that the walls were golden and were made of the same porous quality as the strut in the room he’d appeared in. As he smoothed his hand against the wall, he could feel a gentle throb pass through him, like a welcome. The touch was oddly soothing, and the material felt warm and somehow alive.

“It’s coral,” Donna said, leaning against the door frame.

“It’s alive?”

“Sentient,” Donna said. “Come on, love. Tea’s getting cold.”

The kitchen was a warm, inviting room, despite its lack of natural light. “Are we in... space?”

“Oh no,” Donna laughed. “We’re in Glasgow.”

Dave frowned. “I thought I’d... Crossed between universes.”

“How do you mean?” Donna asked.

“Well, Rose told me. About parallel universes.”

Donna nodded, thoughtfully sipping her tea. “Tell me what you know, then I’ll try to fill in any gaps that I can.”

Dave took a deep breath and began to tell her what had happened.

“So the Doctor is in a coma?” she asked in concern.

“He was in a coma. Rose called me to tell me that he’s all right.”

“Have you met him?”

“No.”

“Then how did you know my name?”

“Because there’s a Donna Noble in my universe too. She’s a doctor and she works with Torchwood.”

Donna played with the spoon in her mug. She smiled wistfully when she looked up. “So I’m actually a useful person.”

“Hey,” Dave said, reaching across the table to cover her hand. “From what Rose told me he only travels with the best and the brightest.”

Donna guffawed. “So he keeps telling me.” She studied him for a few moments. “It’s uncanny. The way you look almost like him.”

He shrugged.

“And you and Rose are married?”

“No. Our names are just a coincidence. They’re spelled differently. But we got engaged last night.”

“Congratulations. Have you set a date?” she asked.

“Not yet. We want to keep things slow, but we wanted the comfort of knowing that it will happen eventually,” he explained.

“Forgive me for asking, but I take it that Rose knows that you’re in no way like the Doctor?” Donna asked, her voice mild and full of concern for a woman she only knew from stories.

“I hope so,” Dave guffawed, but he didn’t feel quite as lighthearted about it as he let on. Even though Rose kept telling him that she had let go of the Doctor, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he served as a constant reminder of what she’d lost. He doubted he would any time soon. It didn’t mean, however, that he was jealous. At the moment, he was just upset and very worried about the bairns. He hated the idea of them by themselves so soon after they had lost Rita.

“Tell me about your children. Are they Rose’s and yours?”

“No. They’re... Their mother died earlier this year,” he said, raising his mug only to find it empty.

“I’m so sorry.” Donna glanced at her own mug. “Refill?”

“That would be lovely. Thanks.” He passed her the mug. 

“So, what happened to the Doctor?” they asked at the same time.


	15. Fourteen

Fourteen

Rose woke, refreshed, to the insistent patter of the raindrops against the window. It was raining so hard the panes were getting a nice wash. The light was tinted orange from the glow of lights coming from across the river. It reminded her of the light in the TARDIS. 

It was one of those days when it never really got properly light and the street lights came on early or never really went out. Or had she just slept so long that the lights had come on?

Brushing her hair back, Rose sat up to check her watch on the bedside table. It was ten to four in the afternoon. “Dear me,” she thought. “They’ve let me sleep far too long.” 

Rose got up and slid into her clothes. Grabbing her mobile and keys she left the staff suite and hurried to her office. On her way she realised how hungry she was. Apart from the tea the Doctor had made her she hadn’t eaten all day. She’d nip to Tony’s and pick up a salad.

“Hey Rose,” Mickey said as he left his office. “Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah, thanks. I feel much better now. Where is everyone?” she asked, her hand on the doorknob.

“We’re in the conference room. Rose, there has been a development while you were asleep,” he said gravely.

“Oh?”

“You’d better sit down,” he said, gesturing for her to enter her office.

“What happened, Mickey?” she asked sharply. Her mind started working overtime coming up with different scenarios and she tried to calm herself, as she waited for Mickey to explain. “What happened?”

In her office, she sat on the edge of the sofa and Mickey settled down on the sofa perpendicular to hers. He looked very serious and her heart was in her mouth when she asked again.

“It’s Dave. He’s vanished into thin air this afternoon. The Doctor reckons he passed into his universe,” he said.

“What?” Her heart plummeted and she felt as if she landed on the sofa after a fall from a great height. 

“He went to the alley with Lily. The one in which she turned up. She wanted to see it. They went into the alley and Dave took a step too far and was yanked out of existence.”

“Yanked?” Rose asked, numb. It was funny what she focused on. Semantics of all things, when Dave had gone missing.

“Lily’s words. She called in straight away. Poor girl was beside herself. Well, she still is. Blames herself for what happened,” Mickey said. “Inconsolable.”

“Why were they together in the first place?” Rose asked, wanting the easy answers first.

“She wanted Dave to teach her how to use a computer, and after lunch they decided to go for a walk and ended up in the alley. She’s gutted, Rose,” Mickey added.

“Yeah, I get it,” she said irritably. No matter how devastated Lily was wouldn’t change the fact that Dave had disappeared. They had no way of knowing if he’d really turned up in the Doctor’s universe. And what about the children? After losing their mother not so long ago their father was gone now too. No. She mustn’t think like this. Dave was in the Doctor’s universe. They’d get him back. “What now?”

“We’re dealing with it. As horrible as this is, the Doctor thinks that we can learn a lot from Dave’s disappearance,” Mickey said.

He was right. Still. Dave was missing.

“Did you get the CCTV footage? From the point when the weather became nasty?” she asked.

“We did. But listen, Rose.”

Her mind was reeling. She needed to find out if there were other atmospheric disturbances. And they had a lot of footage to go through and they needed to observe the alley very closely from now on.

“Rose?”

Mickey’s sharp tone roused her from her thoughts.

“Yeah?”

“We think you should step down and let us do the job.”

“What?”

“You’re family. You shouldn’t work this case. Go home and look after the children. They need you now more than ever,” Mickey said.

“You’re kidding.” She couldn’t just leave and sit by and watch as her team tried to get Dave back. She needed to _do_ something.

Mickey held her gaze evenly.

“You mean it.”

“Yeah. The kids need you, Rose, and we need to focus on our job. We’ll get Dave back. The Doctor’s here. He’s not meant to be in this universe, it’s wrong, so he’ll find a way back to his own.”

Rose took a deep breath and slumped a little. Mickey was right. She had readily passed Paul’s case on to her team when it became clear that Dave and the kids needed her and not the team leader. At the same time she couldn’t help feeling she was letting Dave down by not fighting for him. Ever since the Illness he had trusted her abilities unconditionally, and she was sure that wherever he was now — hopefully in her original universe — he was hoping she was doing everything, anything, to get him back.

“Will you keep me updated?” she asked eventually.

“I’ll brief you twice a day, more often if we make a breakthrough,” Mickey agreed, obviously relieved. “But I won’t answer any questions in between. A call in the morning and at night have to be enough.”

Rose pursed her lips. “All right.”

“Then I suggest that you pack a bag and move into Dave’s house,” Mickey said. “I’m sure that Lucy will be back home soon. Lily told me Lucy’s staying at her grandmother’s, but Lily also offered to come round and explain everything to Lucy. She’s very anxious, in fact. She blames herself.”

Lily wasn’t entirely wrong, Rose’s nasty side whispered, but really, neither Lily nor Dave could have known what might happen — Torchwood hadn’t, either. So far they’d only known of people arriving in the alley, having someone disappear there was new. And maybe now they’d be able to find out how to jump from one universe to another. And maybe she’d also find out why the Dimension Cannon didn’t work.

“You need to cordon off that alley,” Rose suggested.

“We already have, love,” Mickey said, smiling.

She ducked her head. “Of course you have.” He was right, she needed to step down.

“Would you like me to drive you?” he asked.

To her surprise, Rose found herself nodding.

“Right. Someone has already taken Lily back to Hillingdon Drive in Dave’s car, so you won’t be without one,” Mickey said.

"She’s there now? By herself?” Rose asked.

“I think so.”

“Take me now. I can get my stuff later,” Rose said. She hated the idea of Lily, who was already traumatised, all by herself in the Tilers’ home.

Mickey took her to her own home first after all. Rose packed in a daze, indiscriminately choosing clothes from her wardrobe and chest of drawers and throwing them into her wheelie suitcase. She got what she needed from the bathroom and packed the book she was reading and her laptop, then she was ready.

Lottie opened the door when she knocked on it a short while later. To her surprise, the au pair hugged her closely. “ _Oh Gott, es tut mir so Leid,_ ” she whispered, unable to voice her thoughts in English.

“Danke,” Rose replied, hugging her back. “ _Wo ist Lily_?”

Recovering, Lottie replied that she was upstairs in Lucy’s room.

“I think I’d better look after her first,” Rose said. She went upstairs and knocked on the door to Lucy’s room. “Lily? May I come in?”

There was no answer, so Rose interpreted it as ‘not objecting’ and pushed open the door. As she peeked around its edge, she saw Lily curled up on Lucy’s bed, her eyes puffy, clutching a teddy bear to herself. Its fur was matted and worn thin in places. The room was dim; Lily must have been in here for a long time, not bothering with the light. Rose sat on the edge of the bed and stroked the Lily’s shoulder.

A sob escaped the girl eventually, and before Rose knew it, Lily had thrown her arms around her neck and Rose was holding on for dear life. “Shshsh,” she whispered, “It’s all right, love.” Rose rocked her gently back and forth, hoping that it would soothe the distraught girl just as the gesture had soothed her when she was in Jackie’s arms.

“I’m so sorry,” Lily sobbed. “I didn’t mean to...”

“Of course you didn’t,” Rose said, rubbing her back in circles.

“I just wanted to know where I turned up,” Lily continued.

“Yeah, I know,” Rose replied.

“I had no idea Dave would disappear. I feel so horrible! Lucy’s already lost her Mum, and now she hasn’t got a Dad either,” she cried. Rose felt her neck go damp with Lily’s tears, and she was at a loss for what to do to console her. Lucy would be very upset, furious even. There was nothing Rose could say that wasn’t a lie.

Right then she heard the front door open and Lucy and Lottie talking in the hall. Lucy’s voice rose when Lottie told her that she and Lily were in her room.

“Why?” Lucy asked suspiciously.

Again Lottie said something that was inaudible, and soon after Rose could hear Lucy hurry up the stairs. Rose let go of Lily to meet Lucy on the landing. She was pale and trembling. “What happened, Rose?” she asked.

“Lily is having a bad day,” Rose said.

“Oh, what happened?” Lucy asked, her tension changing from terror to compassion.

Rose reached out with her hand to draw Lucy into her arms. “Come inside and let me explain.”

To her surprise, the girls were in each other’s arms as soon as they spotted each other. Lucy was the one offering comfort, however, and she cast questioning glances over Lily’s shoulder at Rose. Eventually, Rose mouthed to Lucy that she’d be downstairs. She felt a bit like an intruder, and the girls seemed to understand each other well enough to be able to handle this. Hopefully, Lily would choose this moment to confide in Lucy instead of telling her about Dave. She was tempted to suggest as much to Lily, but she didn’t want to manipulate and scare the girl. She was distressed enough as it was. It also meant, however, that Rose had passed on the decision to tell Lucy what had happened to Lucy. It was very unfair, and she hated herself for that very Doctor-like moment.

In the parlour she cleaned the hearth and started a new fire. The room was cool, and she snuggled under a blanket on the sofa. Lottie was nowhere to be seen, and so Rose retreated into her own world when she could hear nothing coming from upstairs.

She was convinced that if they’d told the children about Lily’s fate from the beginning, they’d be better prepared for what awaited them when they returned from the day at the aqua park. She wondered how best to tell the children what had happened to Dave, and where he was and why.

Eventually, Lottie appeared with a tray laden with soup, bread, and wine for supper. They sat on the sofas facing each other, sharing the simple meal in comfortable silence. “Lentils, carrots and tomato,” Lottie informed her. “I’ve taken some up to the girls.”

“Any survivors?” Rose asked, only half-joking. She didn’t quite trust the peace.

“Exhausted, both of them,” was all Lottie would offer. She sipped her wine and tore a bit off the warm crusty bread. It was homemade and it was delicious.

“You’re spoiling them,” Rose said, dunking a piece of bread into the creamy orange soup.

“They deserve it,” Lottie murmured. They continued to eat in silence for a while, the tinkling of the cutlery against the china punctuating the patter of the rain and the crackle of the fire. “So, what happens now?” Lottie asked eventually.

“I’ve resigned from the case. I’ll stay here and look after the children,” Rose said.

“They don’t want you because you’re Dave’s lover?”

Rose smiled. “Exactly.”

“It’s probably better. I’ll make up his bed for you later,” Lottie offered.

“Oh no. I can do it myself,” Rose protested. Lottie wasn’t a servant, besides, she wasn’t sure she wanted fresh linen on his bed. It would be strange to sleep in his bed without him. She wanted to surround herself with his scent if not with his warmth. It had been quite a while since she’d spent the night here. Dave had a strict policy of his room being off limits to any of the children, particularly when the door was closed. They were only ever allowed to enter in an emergency, and they had learned early on that the need for a glass of water wasn’t an emergency.

After dinner, Rose went upstairs to get everything ready. It was strange to be in his room without him. She loved the red wallpaper with the golden stars and the fairy lights draped over the branches of a metal tree Rita had once made in some kind of art class. The bed was old and comfy, the dark wood smoothly polished and piled with pillows and a warm duvet; Dave was quite the cuddler. Rose smiled as she trailed her fingers over the satiny material of the purple and red sheets.

There were photos on the wall, of the children and Rita, of course, and the vanity in the corner of the room still held her things. A curtain made of strings of pearls that tinkled softly served as a door to their walk-in closet. The rain pummelled the skylights. And yet the room exuded cosiness but also the strange feeling of being in between lived-in and cherished and being on the verge of being redecoration.

Lottie knocked on the door with a pile of fresh sheets in her arms. Rose looked up from where she was sitting on the edge of Dave’s bed.

“I’ll just leave them here,” Lottie said, putting them down on a chest right beside the door.

“Thank you.”

“Anna just called. They’ll be here in about half an hour,” Lottie said. “May I make a suggestion?”

“Of course, Lottie,” Rose said, looking at her expectantly.

“Why don’t you tell them that Dave has had to go on a business trip? A friend of his got sick and asked him to stand in for him,” Lottie said.

“I’m shocked how convincing you sound.”

Lottie shrugged. “Anna doesn’t like you. But I think that the children would rather you were around in this situation than Anna who’s always so high-strung and upset. I wonder if she ever relaxes.”

Rose chuckled. That was exactly the same impression she had of Anna. Plus, of course, the thing that had happened with the pap a few weeks earlier hadn’t really helped to improve their relationship. “Wouldn’t it be better to tell them the truth? They’ll worry if they can’t talk to him. We’ll have to tell the truth eventually.”

“It’ll be late when he gets a chance to call, so you pass the kisses on to them,” Lottie said.

Rose didn’t feel comfortable with the idea, but she also knew that this was her only chance. Besides, Dave might not be gone long enough to warrant putting the children through this. “Thank you. See, it’s a good idea I stepped down from the case. I can’t even think straight.”

“Oh, I’m sure you can. It’s just that worrying about the children is very different from working out a plan of where to start looking for him,” Lottie said.

“You’re a darling, Lottie.”

Lottie smiled and left, pulling the door closed behind her.

Rose slumped a little and buried her face in her hands. This was going to be a lot tougher than working around the clock to get Dave, Lily and the Doctor back where they belonged. If, indeed, they were the only people to have travelled between the universes. Rose had a feeling that there were more displaced people out in the streets of Glasgow, disoriented and in need of help. She’d asked Mickey to check the hospitals and Donna to keep her eyes peeled for any strange cases; she usually did, but now they needed to be particularly alert.

A knock on the door roused her from her thoughts.

“Yeah?”

Lily and Lucy came in. Both of them had puffy eyes and the fresh look of someone who had just splashed their face with cold water.

“Hey.”

“We’d like the wee ones not to know for the moment,” Lucy said, clutching Lily’s hand for support. The way she said this suggested that she was quite determined and not ready to accept protest. For a moment Rose had thought they were talking about Dave.

“If that’s what you want,” Rose said, patting the bed beside her for them to sit down. They joined her.

“Dave told me that they’d understand and that things would be easier,” Lily said softly. Rose slumped in relief. Lily hadn’t told Lucy about what had happened to Dave. “But I don’t want to be a circus attraction. I want to live as normally as possible.”

“Are you sure?” Rose asked, playing with her ring. “I’m sure that the effect would wear off soon and then you’d just be Lily.”

Lily nodded resolutely. 

“It’s beautiful,” Lucy said, stilling Rose’s fingers as they played with the engagement ring. “I’m glad he asked you. And that you said yes.”

Lucy’s words touched Rose deeply, and she felt her eyes well up. It was amazing that such a simple gesture had the power to make her fall apart. “Thank you,” Rose said, her voice cracking. She wiped at her eyes. “That means a lot to me. But please don’t tell the others yet.” Rose pulled the ring off her finger and put it carefully on the bedside table. 

“Why are you so upset, Rose?” Lucy asked.

“It’s just... a little overwhelming how fast you’ve accepted me,” she said. “Thank you.”

“I’ll need a while to get used to the idea of you... being there instead of Mum. I know that you don’t want to replace her,” Lucy said.

“That’s good,” Rose said, smiling. 

“We’ll have two secrets to keep then,” Lucy said.

“Yeah, I suppose so,” Rose said. She wondered when her house of cards would collapse. It was only a matter of time, of that she was sure. The bairns were just too clever and too emphatic.


	16. Fifteen: Jenny

Part 3

Think of the thousands of nights and the shadows fought.  
And the mornings of light. I try to read your thought.

In the strange openness of your face, I'm powerless.  
Always this love. Always this infinity between us.

– Michael O'Siadhail, _Between_

 

Jenny

Jenny stumbled and fell to her knees, dropping forward on her hands in the process. Although the carpet in her room was thick, her knees throbbed after the impact and she was sure she had carpet burn despite the heavy fabric of the cargo pants she was wearing. Momentarily winded, she rolled to lie on her side. She was getting better at controlling the nausea every time she jumped. The orange plastic bowl beneath her bed was just a safety net now, but there had been days, particularly the early on, when she had hugged it to her and emptied the contents of her stomach.

Eventually, Jenny rolled to lie on her back, throwing an arm over her forehead. It was official now. No matter what she did, the vortex manipulator wouldn’t take her back to her own universe. She had tried all the adjustments she could think of, had fiddled with the device, had taken it apart and put it back together again. This latest attempt had been her last hope, and it had failed.

She didn’t know what to do. She was too devastated to even cry.

A soft knock on her door roused her from her thoughts. Climbing to her feet, she called for Sarah to enter. It was only then that she noticed the mess her muddy clothes and boots had made of the carpet. And, as if to remind her of her adventure, the cut on her forehead began to sting now that the adrenaline had worn off.

“Jenny, I was wondering if –” Sarah said, entering the room. She stopped in her tracks when she looked at her. “Oh dear, what happened to you?” Sarah rushed towards her to inspect the cut on her brow.

Jenny flinched and shied away at her touch. “It’s nothing,” she said. She touched the cut, hoping that once she’d cleaned it it would heal quickly. It wouldn’t do to go to school like this, although she couldn’t help thinking that the children would be amused by it and eager to hear the story behind it. “I slid and a twig lapped my face.”

Sarah relaxed a bit. “How you can be out in this weather is beyond me. I’ll make you a cup of tea.”

“What was it you wanted to ask me about?”

“Oh, I was just wondering if you’d like to go to the cinema tonight. I won two tickets in a lottery. It’s Sean McDonald’s new film,” Sarah explained.

“Of course I’d like that! Let me just get cleaned up,” Jenny said. She had no idea who Sean McDonald was, but the cinema sounded like a good distraction.

“It’s not on until half past six, so you’ve got plenty of time.”

Jenny smiled gratefully at her colleague and friend. Sarah was a good friend, and Jenny was glad that she had taken the chance and applied for the job as a supply teacher. She was standing in for a pregnant teacher who’d had to leave early for health reasons, so when Jenny eventually returned to her own universe she wouldn’t leave anyone standing in the rain. Sarah had offered her a room in her house, so finding a job and a place to stay had been surprisingly easy. Adjusting to this universe, however, wasn’t as easy. She missed her family a lot, and there was no way of contacting them. She didn’t even have a photo of them — she never carried one when she was travelling, for their, and her own, protection.

Dealing with the authorities had been surprisingly simple as well. She’d told them her paperwork had been lost in a fire, and when they went in search of her data in their computer system she’d charmed them into thinking that her file had somehow been lost in the process of digitising. They had given her everything she needed to apply for the teaching job and to set up a bank account. Making that decision had been tough; it felt a bit like giving up on ever getting back, but then it occurred to her that perhaps taking a break from travelling would be good. She’d seen and done so many things, but no matter how far and wide she’d travelled, she never found what she was looking for, not even after she’d come by the vortex manipulator at one of Rizon’s infamous black markets.

Stepping under the hot spray of the shower Jenny wondered if she’d ever find a way back home. Well, the better approach was probably to finally try to find out why she had ended up in this universe in the first place. She’d been convinced that the vortex manipulator had malfunctioned. But the longer she’d searched for a way back, and the more options she’d exhausted, the clearer it became that the device worked perfectly fine.

Her tense muscles relaxed in the wet warmth and she spent longer in the shower than absolutely necessary. Jenny hated lying to Sarah, making her believe that she enjoyed hiking in the Highlands. She just hoped that Sarah would never ask her if she could tag along on one of her trips. She knew nothing about the hiking trails of Scotland.

As she blow-dried her dark hair her thoughts returned to the man she had seen at the supermarket a couple of weeks before. He had reminded her of her father, and for a moment she had been tempted to throw herself at him first and ask questions later. So instead she’d taken a deep breath and approached him. She should have known better. Her father couldn’t possibly be in this universe.

The man had not recognised her at all, however, and then she’d seen his eyes. They were different from her Dad’s, younger and more innocent, but she’d also seen that he’d had his share of grief and sorrow. Disappointed and embarrassed, she’d withdrawn and proceeded to the check-out quickly so she didn’t see him again.

But she had ended up here, hadn’t she? Chances that he would were astronomical, but he was a proper Time Lord. He’d know about these things. He’d find them, or they found him, and he’d fix them. Just like he had fixed the war on Messaline. Why hadn’t he ffigured out that there was a problem yet?

The one question, however, that wouldn’t leave her alone was why he hadn’t come to find her. He’d wanted her to travel with him, to show her the universe, like he did Donna and Martha, but after she’d thrown herself in front of him to take the bullet he had just disappeared. Sometimes she had wondered why she still wanted to find him when he had made it clear that he didn’t want her with him. Maybe she needed to hear the words from him.

Leaning over the wash basin she inspected the cut on her forehead. It wasn’t deep, and it had started to close up already. She’d have used a few of her Nanogenes if Sarah hadn’t seen the wound. She’d never get away by telling her she had covered up the cut with make-up. Jenny decided to let Sarah take care of her. To be honest, she’d enjoyed having someone fuss over her. She missed her mother; she’d insist on cleaning the wound and putting a plaster over it.

Jenny dumped her muddy clothes in the hamper and slipped into a pair of jeans and a stylishly oversized jumper before she joined Sarah in the lounge. Just as promised, Sarah had made her a cup of tea, and she’d also brought her first-aid kit.

“Would you mind taking a look at this?” Jenny said, sitting on the sofa with one leg tucked under.

Sarah smiled and tended to her. The antiseptic burnt a little at first, and Jenny hissed. But then the pain was gone and Sarah covered the cut with a spray dressing. “There. That’ll attract less attention than the dinosaur plasters I have,” Sarah said, winking.

“Thank you,” she said, picking up the mug of tea. It wasn’t quite like her mother’s tea, but it fortified her.

“Are you ready for the project to start?” Sarah asked. Jenny knew Sarah would have wanted to run one too, but it just wasn’t possible with five year-olds.

“Oh yes, I can’t wait,” Jenny enthused. She had done some first-hand research and had brought back quite a few artefacts that she could use in class without arousing unwanted attention. She had spent the nights she didn’t sleep researching what she didn’t know, startling the staff of the National Library with the number of volumes she requested and returned not long after checking them out. They probably thought she didn’t really read them, but in fact she had read all of them back to front.

They discussed the project for a while until it was time to get ready to go to town. They had dinner at a brightly lit and noisy eatery serving fusion cuisine before they walked the short distance to the cinema. The afternoon had been largely dry, but the rain had started again with a vengeance, and by the time they arrived in the warm foyer they were chilled to the bone and a bit damp, despite their umbrellas.

The smell of cinemas was universal, no matter when or where you visited one. The sweet smell of fresh popcorn was part of it, and, depending on the weather, the smell of damp wool. Jenny didn’t miss the smell of stale cigarette smoke that made cinemas definitely identifiable as twenty-first century.

“I haven’t been to the cinema in ages!” Jenny enthused as they shook the excess water from their coats.

“Yes,” Sarah muttered thoughtfully. “I think the last time I went was with Matt.”

Sarah and Matt had broken up shortly before the summer holidays, which was why Sarah had had a spare room for a lodger. Before Matt had left they’d only ever used it as a guest room, but after the break-up Sarah had decided to rent it to the supply teacher. It was only for a couple of months, and she’d hoped that the company would help her to get over the separation.

“The last film I saw was Quantum of Solace. It was rubbish,” Jenny said.

“I’ve never heard of it. What’s it about?”

“It’s James—” Jenny stopped herself. She should have remembered that the film had never been made in this universe. Sarah had told her, not in so many words, but when Jenny had spotted the box set of all the Bond films Sarah had pointed out proudly that she owned all of the Bond films ever made.

Jenny caught a particular movement in the corner of her eye, and she whirled around. At the same time, a tingling sensation made the hairs in the back of her neck stand on end. A faint whisper flitted through her consciousness. She froze.

“Jenny? Are you all right? You look like someone just walked over your grave,” Sarah asked, touching her arm in concern.

“What? Yes,” Jenny said distractedly. She scanned the movie-going crowd but she couldn’t spot what had made her shudder. “I just thought I saw someone, but I must have been mistaken.”

“Was it an ex of yours?”

“No!” Jenny said. Why would she say something like that?

“Well, going by your reaction it certainly wasn’t anyone you’d like to see again,” Sarah explained.

“I think it was just someone I didn’t expect to see again,” Jenny finally admitted. Had she really just seen her father? It wasn’t possible. It was more likely that she’d seen the man from the supermarket. Odds were, however, it hadn’t been him either, but someone who at first glance resembled her father. “Would you like something sweet?” she asked to distract Sarah as much as herself.

“Oh no, I’m full, thanks. Actually, I need to pop to the loo,” she said.

“I’ll wait here,” Jenny said. As soon as Sarah was out of sight she started scanning the crowd again, but he wasn’t there. Whoever he was. She ran a hand through her hair. Her strong reaction still puzzled her.

“Hello, Miss Redfern!”

Jenny jumped a little at the cheerful greeting. Looking down she found herself surrounded by a group of pupils.

“Hello, Ewan,” she said. The boy was clearly impressed by the fact that she remembered his name. He was one of the boys in her project class, and so far they’d only met once. Also, he coloured slightly. “What film are you going to see?”

“Oh, that German footie film,” he said. “And you?”

“You know, I have no idea. I’m here with my friend, and she’s got the tickets,” Jenny said. “I believe it’s the new McDonald film?” She felt ashamed for not having listened to Sarah when she’d asked.

“Oh, that’s supposed to be great!” Ewan enthused. “But I can’t go yet.”

Just then, Sarah returned from the ladies’. When she saw Ewan, her face lit up, and Jenny could tell that she wanted to hug the boy. “Hello, Ewan!”

“Hey, Sarah,” he said, obviously torn between delight at seeing her and annoyance at the interruption.

“Is your Dad here too?” Sarah asked.

Ewan shook his head. “No, he had to go on a business trip. Mrs Cranmer has brought us,” he said, pointing at a woman at the box office.

“Ah, well, tell him to ring me when he’s back. I haven’t seen him in ages,” Sarah said. “Are you doing all right? What about the others?”

“Yeah, they’re great. I’ve got to go now,” he said, clearly a bit uncomfortable.

“His Mum and I used to be best friends,” Sarah explained, looking after the boy as he and his friends left to choose sweets to go with the film.

“What happened?”

“She died. It was a terrible accident,” Sarah said.

“Oh, how awful,” Jenny said. “He and his brother Paul are in my project class. They seem so happy and balanced.”

“They are, but there are moments when they miss her,” Sarah said. “I know I do.”

“I’m so sorry,” Jenny said. Although she had seen quite a few people die on her journeys, she didn’t really grasp the finality and permanence of death yet. She had died herself, but she supposed that the ability to regenerate made it hard to understand. The only thing that she had grasped was that grief was a power to be reckoned with. Her mother had lost her first husband to war, and she’d not thought she’d ever fall in love again until she met Jenny’s father. He hadn’t been himself at the time and he’d broken her heart. Strictly speaking, Joan Redfern wasn’t her mother, but she’d taken her in when Jenny had followed her father’s faint trail of Artron energy to 1914.

It had taken Jenny a long time to win her trust, and a lot of explaining, but eventually Joan had opened up and told her about the History teacher who turned out to be a Time Lord; the man she’d fallen in love with after she’d thought she’d never love again. The man who had broken her heart. Jenny had been heartsbroken over what he had done to Joan, and she’d almost left then. But Joan had asked her about her own story with the Doctor. Jenny had stayed with Joan, and thanks to her she’d learned to deal with her mixed feelings for the man who was her father. The fact that he had left her behind on Messaline had caused Joan to offer her a home.

Joan had also given her an upbringing and an education, things that she could draw on now that she was stranded here. In fact Jenny often referred to her as her mother when she thought about her. She was the person she always returned to in between adventures, even when Joan had found happiness again and married and had children. Truth be told, it was one of the reasons why she wanted to find him. Joan kept telling her to leave him be – she knew exactly why Jenny was so restless – but she needed to know. She needed the closure.

Jenny wished she could ask her for advice. Never in her life had Jenny felt as scared and lost as she did now.

“I don’t want to miss the trailers,” Sarah said. “Shall we?”

“Yeah, let’s,” Jenny said, shaking off the feeling of homesickness.


	17. Sixteen

Sixteen

That first morning went by surprisingly smoothly. Lottie and the children had worked out a routine that was only slightly upset by Dave’s absence. They asked where he was and if he had called; Rose could only answer the second question truthfully. She didn’t know where he was, but she couldn’t tell the children that because they’d know instantly that something was wrong.

“Are Anna and Robin going to stay with us?” Evie asked, pouring so much milk into her cereal that it cascaded over the rim of the bowl. Shocked, she covered her mouth with her hand. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry, _Spatz_ ,” Lottie said, appearing by her side with a wad of paper towels to clean up the mess.

“Well, are they?” Ewan asked, fishing for a slice of toast. Lottie had made them prepare their sandwiches themselves after they had complained several times that they hadn’t gotten what they wanted or that they had mixed up the sandwiches and the lunch boxes. Rose was amazed by Lottie’s skills of organising the family and staying on top of things. She had a feeling she’d fail utterly and completely at running a family. It had always only ever been her and Mum, and they’d had no trouble managing their morning routine — apart from the few times when one of them had taken longer in the bathroom for some reason.

“No,” Rose said. “I mean... I can take time off work to look after you. If you want.”

Lucy looked at her in surprise. “Don’t you have some case to work on?” she asked.

“Mickey and Jake have made it quite clear that they don’t want me.”

“Are you losing your job?” Evie asked. “Jamie’s father lost his.”

“That’s awful!” Rose said. “But no, I’m not going to lose my job. I’m still the boss.”

“How long is Dad going to be away for?” Paul asked. 

“He didn’t say,” Rose said. She hated having to tell the children these half-truths, but at least it wasn’t lying to them. She wondered how long she’d be able to keep up the charade.

“He’s never had to leave so quickly before,” Ewan pointed out. “The film was great, by the way. Have you seen the other films in the series, Lottie? It is a series, right?”

“Yes, it is. And I love it,” she said, beaming. “Too bad we can’t play a bit of footie later.” She cast a sorrowful glance at the wetly glittering gloom outside. It was raining; it was more noteworthy these days, when the rain let up. If it let up.

“You’ll have to pick us up from school in the afternoon,” Paul pointed out, as if it were the sole condition on which the arrangement was based.

Rose nodded. “All right. When?”

“At half three.”

“I’ll be there.”

They discussed more things that needed doing that day until a car honked and the three wee ones left. It was Mrs Cranmer’s turn to do the school run this morning. Lucy would walk, bundled up against the cold and protected by an umbrella, to the bus stop to travel to her own school. She had a huge, black one which she said had become the latest craze around her school. Rose smiled at the teenagers’ ability to adapt to their environment so quickly and to turn something as pedestrian as an umbrella into a fashionable accessory. She suspected that the teens had also discovered umbrellas because they offered a bit of privacy, not only to exchange the latest gossip but also for those who had a crush on someone to watch them unobserved. Teachers wouldn’t like the umbrellas much if they were used in the playground, she was sure of that.

Once they had left the house, Lottie and Rose put away the breakfast things before they settled down with fresh hot porridge and a mug of tea. Lottie had explained that this was the only way to survive the morning rush. Funnily enough, she was still in her jimjams. She sat on the bench across from Rose, one knee drawn up, blowing over her mug of tea. “Where is Dave?” she asked.

Rose sighed. Lottie wouldn’t accept the lie, and Rose was sure that soon Lucy would demand to learn the truth from her as well. “I don’t know. Dave disappeared.”

“Disappeared?” Lottie gasped. ”What do you mean, disappeared?”

“Let me explain,” Rose said. Lottie needed to know the truth. She was her closest ally in the battle that was everyday life with the Morris children. She was convinced that Lottie was essential in keeping up the charade for as long as possible.

“ _Ach du Schande_ ,” she muttered once Rose had finished. “Do you have an idea of where he might have disappeared to?”

Rose nodded, swirling the dregs of her tea. Her bowl of porridge sat mostly untouched whereas Lottie had nearly finished hers. “We have a theory that he was taken to the universe I come from.” That statement made even more explanations necessary, and Lottie was so amazed and bewildered that there came a point when she gave up on trying to comment on anything Rose said.

“That’s quite a way to start Monday morning,” was all she said. “No offence, but I think I need a while to digest this.”

“I know it’s a lot to take in,” Rose admitted, turning to her cold porridge. Disgusted, she rose to put it into the microwave to reheat it. It wouldn’t be quite the same, but it was better than going on an empty stomach. “If you have any questions, please do ask.”

Lottie nodded. “Would you like some more tea?”

“Don’t we need to get started?” Rose asked.

Lottie made a dismissive gesture. “There’s two of us now. We’ll be done soon enough. Assuming, of course, that you’re willing to help.”

“Of course I am!” Rose said. Actually, she thought that the menial tasks would help her regain some of her equilibrium. It wasn’t just that the children were, technically speaking, fatherless. Her fiancé was missing, too, but she found that focusing on the children helped more than anything to remain calm. Their needs came first. If she didn’t know better she’d say her parenting skills were being put to a test.

“So the Doctor is in this universe now?” Lottie asked after Rose had taken her bowl of porridge out of the microwave.

“Yeah.”

“Well, does he sound like Dave?”

Rose nodded, not quite sure what Lottie was getting at. “He’s got an Estuary accent, but yes, they sound the same. His brogue sounds very convincing.” She remembered his mellow tones when they’d visited Torchwood Hall.

“I was just thinking that if Dave remains missing for a longer time, the Doctor could pretend to be Dave and talk to the children. To reassure them. Do you think he’d do that?” she asked.

”I think he would. He has a real soft spot for children,” she said.

“He’d have to lie to them.”

Rose pursed her lips. “He’ll do it. He keeps the truth from people to get them to talk to him all the time.”

“So he’s a liar?”

“Not any more than the rest of us. He lies when it suits him,” Rose said. 

“Fair enough.”

They spent the morning picking up the rooms the whole family used. In the kitchen Rose contemplated the colour samples that were still around from when Dave & Rita had been thinking about redoing the kitchen. There were a few post-its with the names of the family members on them to indicate their favourite colour. Unfortunately, everyone seemed to like a different one. Dave’s plans to redecorate the kitchen kept being foiled and she wondered for a brief time if she should surprise him and have it done for him. But then she thought that seemed like something Rita and Michelle might have done, gone behind his back, and she didn’t want him to think that she would be like that. 

Mickey called to ask her if she had time to meet them for lunch. Lottie declined her invitation, since she had an appointment in town herself, but Rose promised to keep her updated on anything she needed to know about the search for Dave.

“How are the children taking it?” Mickey asked as they settled down in their seats at Tony’s. Dominic and Jake were there, as was the Doctor, and even Tom had been able to tear himself away from his computer lab for a while. Rose reckoned that he and the the Doctor would get on particularly well.

“Children?” the Doctor asked. His face went slightly slack. ”You have children?”

“Dave is the father of five,” Rose explained. “I’m looking after four of them now. His oldest daughter lives in Belfast.”

“Is that why you aren’t at the Priory any more?” he asked, crestfallen. “You’re a babysitter?”

“No, I am looking after my boyfriend’s children who happen to have as good as adopted me. It’s a gift, Doctor, not a burden,” she replied calmly. She had to keep her temper in check. What had gotten into him? He knew that Dave was her fiancé. Why was he being like this? He’d do anything for children, and he should have know her well enough to understand that she'd be very protective of them.

She still didn’t have a clear idea of what he really thought about her being engaged to Dave. She had to remind herself that less time had passed for him than for her, and she could see that, despite himself, he had a bit of a problem coming to terms with the idea that she had moved on. Wasn’t that what he’d wanted for her when he’d sent her back to Earth from the Game Station? When he’d refused, at first, her help closing the walls between the universes?

The Doctor ducked his head — she could see the dimples flashing in his cheeks — but then the moment passed and he relaxed visibly. Why was he so upset?

“Have you found out anything new about what happened to Dave?” Rose asked. “Or Lily and you?”

“I think that this thin patch in the fabric of Space and Time is worn on both sides,” the Doctor said. “But it looks like the origin is on my side.” 

“So you still think that the Dimension Cannon has nothing to do with it?” Mickey asked.

“Yep,” the Doctor replied, strangely monosyllabic.

Rose took a deep breath. “So basically you have no idea of what happened?”

“I do. The fabric has worn thin and it needs to be repaired,” he replied.

“Yes, but it didn’t just rip on its own, did it? Something must have given it a helping hand. You’d have noticed, wouldn’t you?” Rose asked.

The Doctor stared at her. ”I should have, but I haven’t.”

“Well, then!” she said. “Who might have an interest in tearing down the walls between the universes? Who’d want reality to be destroyed? Because that’s what’s going to happen eventually, isn’t it?”

He nodded. He could be infuriating when he was upset, but she didn’t remember him being so childish before.

“I think I’ve just lost my appetite,” Dominic said, dropping his fork onto his plate of antipasti with a clatter.

“Nah, it’s not that bad. I’ll find a way to fix it,” the Doctor said, suddenly cheering up.

“Will you, though?” Dominic asked. He and Tom were the only ones who hadn’t met the Doctor before. He had yet to prove himself to them and Rose thought that, maybe, that wasn’t so bad. 

“Yes,” he said, genuinely bristling now.

“Can I ask you something?” she asked after the meal, when the others had left and she and the Doctor were still nursing their coffees.

“Anything, Rose,” he said mildly. The irritation Dominic’s legitimate questions had brought on had left him and he was as gentle and open as ever. He was _her_ Doctor, not the angry and confused man she seemed to meet so often these days. She wondered what had happened to him since she’d been torn from him. 

And then she figured it out. 

He must have lost someone else very close to him. For the moment, however, she didn’t dare ask. She tucked that idea away for later reference, for the right moment. Tony’s didn’t seem the ideal environment to discuss a delicate matter such as this, particularly since the Doctor clammed up as quickly as he did.

“I’ve told the children that Dave has gone on a business trip. He’s standing in for a friend who’s ill but the job needs to be done.”

“Oh Rose,” he said. It was clear, even to him, that that plan was going to backfire quite royally.

“I know,” she said, pushing the crumbs in front of her together into a neat pile. “I’m still hoping that he’ll return soon. Before they get suspicious.”

“So am I.”

“Are you?” she couldn’t help asking.

“Of course I am, Rose. I knew that Time moved faster here than in my universe. I should have expected you to move on. It was just such a shock.”

“So all this time...?”

“What kept me going was the hope you…, well, hadn’t given up on me,” he admittedly sheepishly.

“And I hadn’t, not until a few months ago. I nearly died getting back to you,” she said.

His eyes went wide.

“That was when I stopped. I wanted to get back to you so badly, but when I nearly died I knew that I was taking things too far,” she explained. “I’ve learneed where my limits are.”

”And you’d do the same for Dave,” he concluded.

Rose smiled. “I’d give anything,” she said, covering his hand with hers. “The children need him.”

“They love you a lot already, don’t they? Well, of course they do. Who wouldn’t?” the Doctor said, freeing his thumb to run it over hers. “I’m glad you’re happy.”

“What about you, Doctor?”

“Oh, you know me. I’m all right. I’m always all right.”

“Liar.”

He sighed crestfallen, his eyes pleading. “What did you want to ask of me?” he asked.

“Would you, if I needed you to, call the children as Dave and say good night to them?” she asked.

“Of course I would.”

“There’s something else I’ve been wondering about,” Rose continued.

“Anything, Rose.”

“Can you teach me how to keep my telepathic skills in check? And can you tell me how to teach Dave to keep me out properly? He knows I’d never take advantage of him like that, but I can tell that he’s still a little scared,” Rose said.

“Of course I will,” he said.

Rose bit her lip. For a moment she was tempted to ask him if he knew anything about Void Stuff interfering with her ability to have children, but she bit her lip. It was obvious he still mourned her loss, and she didn’t want to add to his grief by telling him that she wanted Dave’s baby.

“So, he’s my doppelganger in this universe?” he asked. She had given that fact away. She needed to be more careful.

Rose’s stomach bottomed out. She’d meant to keep the fact that Dave was the Doctor’s spitting image a secret from him. Enough people had already asked her if she was together with Dave because he reminded her of the Doctor. It was hard to convince them that she wasn’t. She was with Dave for all the right reasons. What had been gratefulness and the chance to keep her memory of the Doctor alive for a bit longer had turned into love for the man behind that face. She loved Dave for who he was, not for who he reminded her of. It had arguably been difficult to have to stand up for him to Jackie and Mickey, but she was also grateful for their protectiveness. As soon as they had realised that Rose reallyloved Dave, they had told her how happy they were for her. The tougher case was Dave himself. It would be hard to convince him, and she had no idea how to prove her love for him.

“Yes,” she said. ”He is. I don’t care about what a person looks like as long as they love me back. It’s just... The universe’s sense of humour that Dave should look like you,” she said.

“Would you have fallen for him if he’d had a big nose and floppy ears?” he asked.

“I fell in love with you when you looked like a U-Boat captain,” she said.

The Doctor grinned, and for the first time since their reunion it was genuine. “I’d better find a way to get him back then If I need to fool them I better know them as best as possible.”

Rose began to tell him about them, her heart swelling with pride and protectiveness. As she talked it occurred to her she had no idea how much she loved them already.

“You’d have to sound like him, though,” she concluded. ”Like you did at Torchwood House.”

“Wouldn’t it be better if you told them the truth?” he asked. “From what you’ve told me they must be quite a brilliant bunch. They know what you do and they trust you. Isn’t it time you trusted them too?”

Rose took in a shuddering breath. The Doctor had found her sore point. The urge to protect them was great, particularly so soon after Rita’s death, but she also felt that they had a right to know. Would they hate her when they found out, eventually, and they would, of that she was sure, that she’d been keeping the truth from them? They’d not forgive her easily, and she knew that once she’d disappointed them it would be hard to win back their trust. It had been nothing short of a miracle that they had trusted her as quickly as they had.


	18. Seventeen

Seventeen

Dave couldn’t believe that something as mind-boggling as travelling between the universes happened so easily, or at least seemingly so. One moment, Donna had said, the Doctor had been there, investigating something with his timey-wimey detector, and then he was gone. She’d seen him vanish into thin air. And then without warning, Dave had appeared in the same way.

“Timey-wimey detector?” he asked, frowning. “Is that a technical term?”

Donna shrugged, smiling. “It goes ding when there’s stuff. It’s how he explained it to me.”

“What stuff? What was he looking for?” Dave asked.

“Void Stuff, I suppose. It’s some kind of background radiation that clings to people who have travelled through the Void,” she explained.

“So it’s clinging to me?” he asked, worried. It was the stuff of nightmares. It was supposed to be harmless, but Rose feared she might not be able to have a baby because of it.

Donna nodded. “He told me it’s harmless. Actually, you can see it with a pair of those ridiculous 3D glasses. But since I’ve never passed through the Void I’m afraid I can’t show you,” she said with an apologetic shrug.

”Would it work in a mirror?” Dave asked.

Donna’s face lit up. ”I like the way you think. Come on.” They went to her room to pick up a pair of 3D goggles she had failed to return after her last visit to the cinema. Dave put the glasses on and looked at himself in the full-length mirror by her wardrobe. He stared at his image but he couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. There was just plain old him in the mirror.

”What is it supposed to look like, Void Stuff?” he asked.

”Like a cloud of midges swarming around you,” she said.

He took off the glassed and gave them to her. ”I can’t see anything.”

”What?” She put the glasses on herself and looked at him. ”You’re right. There’s nothing. That’s strange.”

”So does that mean that I didn’t come through the Void?” Dave concluded.

”I think so,” she said thoughtfully, dropping the 3D glasses on her vanity.

”I don’t suppose you know how that works?”

Donna pursed her slips and shook her head.

“How long has he been missing?” Dave wanted to know. He needed to concentrate on something other than the new mystery.

“For a few days,” she said. “I’ve been stuck here. I could catch a train to London and go home to see my family but I can’t just leave him like that.”

Dave frowned. “Two days? The funny thing is,” he began, “the Doctor seems to be able to travel between the universes deliberately.”

“What?” she asked, putting her mug down with an audible thunk. Luckily, the mug was nearly empty so nothing sloshed over the rim. “What makes you say that?”

“Well,” Dave began, “my wee daughter saw him in the street once. Her teacher had lost her and she sat on a step to wait for someone to come and get her, when he turned up. She mistook him for me, which is why she talked to him. She drew a picture of him later on. That was two weeks ago.”

Donna slumped back into her seat. “He never said. He never tells me what he’s been up to while I’m sleeping.”

“The question is how did he get back. If he really can control it,” Dave said. The fact that he was still missing strongly suggested, however, that that was not the case. Both of them understood that so they didn’t mention it. “I need to get back.”

“I know, love,” she said. 

“So what do we do?” Dave asked.

Donna pressed her lips into a thin line. “I’m afraid all we can do is wait and trust that Rose and the Doctor will find a way out of this. I’ve tried calling him but even the SuperPhone doesn’t seem powerful enough.” She explained to him about how the Doctor had fixed her phone to give her literal universal roaming.

Dave closed his eyes. He loved Rose and he trusted her with his life, but he was not so sure she knew what had happened, not when the Doctor was in a coma. He told Donna.

“We’ll make this work. It’s little consolation to you, but I’m glad you’re here,” she said.

He smiled wanly.

”If it hadn’t been for you, we’d not even know that you didn’t cross through the Void,” she pointed out.

”And that he probably didn’t either,” Dave concluded.

”Exactly.”

”But what now? We can’t even share this piece of news with him. If, indeed, it’d make any difference in getting everyone back where they belong.”

“For starters, I can give you the grand tour and you can choose a room. Unless you’d like to stay in Rose’s old room,” Donna offered.

Dave stared at her. Of course Rose would have had a room on the TARDIS. “Maybe I can return the favour. Show you a bit of Glasgow. Unless it’s completely different from my Glasgow, that is,” he added.

”I’m going stir-crazy. It’s horrible outside, but some exercise and fresh air would do us both good.2

They put their mugs into the sink and left the kitchen. The TARDIS had grouped the living quarters closely together, but, Donna explained, the places could be hard to find and quite a distance from each other if their occupants wished not to be disturbed. Currently, however, the rooms Donna used most often were very close to the console room. That included the kitchen, her room, the swimming pool and the library.

“There’s a swimming pool?” Dave asked.

“Oh, I’d forgotten. Did Rose ever tell you that the TARDIS is bigger inside than out?”

”She has, but I can’t really imagine it.”

Donna took his hand and pulled him towards the console room behind her. The room was domed and glowed with the gold and turquoise light of the coral, the struts against one of which he had leaned supporting the construction. The centre of the room was taken up by large glass cylinder inside of which were more tubes. Arranged around it was the console itself, a strange collection of disparate switches, knobs, buttons, dials and levers. There were a flat screen and an old-fashioned telephone, and something that looked suspiciously like bicycle pump. The pilot’s seat looked battered but not as if it were used during the actual piloting. When he realised that the floor was just grating he remembered falling to his knees earlier and he winced in pain as his body suddenly reminded him of the fall.

Donna took him past the circular console down a ramp with creaking parquet floor and past a hat stand towards the narrow double doors. She pulled the left wing open and stepped outside into the pouring rain.

She took a quick step backwards and grabbed the umbrella Dave was sure hadn’t been there a few moments before. “As I said, the weather has been horrible,” Donna said. “That was the reason why we came here in the first place. As if it’s ever nice up here.”

“Oi,” Dave said mildly.

“Sorry, but you know what I mean.”

They stepped outside. They were in an alley off Buchanan Street, so a fairly busy part of town. The alley was as narrow and dark as the ones he knew from home and he wondered how the Doctor had managed to land his ship in the small space with hundreds of people passing by just a few meters away.

And then he turned around.

Dave took a step backwards, and then another and a third. The TARDIS was nothing but a police box. It looked in much better shape than the one by the cathedral, but less gaudy than the one in Buchanan Street. The bathroom alone was bigger than the phone box, to say nothing about the console room. Or the other rooms Donna had mentioned. And a pool.

Taking a deep breath and exchanging glances with Donna, he stepped around the phone box to check that it wasn’t somehow connected to the building behind it, to make sure this wasn’t a trick. But it wasn’t. The space between the phone box and the wall was narrow, but he could squeeze through and make sure that there really wasn’t a passage connecting the TARDIS to the building. He had believed Rose when she had described the Doctor’s ship to him, but but seeing it for himself was something else. He felt like a man stepping out of Plato’s cave. 

By the time he stepped beneath Donna’s umbrella the thighs of his jeans were soaked through; his leather jacket had kept the rain out so far, but the shoulders and arms had turned nearly black.

“We’d better get you inside,” Donna said.

“Aye.”

-:-

Dave sat on Rose’s bed in a daze. He couldn’t believe what had just happened. He dug his fingers into the soft material of the robe that had been laid out for him while he was in the shower to get warm. He couldn’t remember ever being so cold in his life. The idea that his children were in another universe, that they didn’t know what had happened to him, froze his blood cold.

His sole consolation was that Lily had been with him. She’d have known right away what happened since she’d been through it too. She would have alerted Rose and the Doctor. He hoped that Rose hadn’t told his children yet what had happened. They were resilient but there was no way they’d survive losing him. Besides, they’d never know if he’d really died or if he’d just gone missing, unable to return to them. He hoped that his disappearance indicated that Lily and the Doctor would be able to return here — and that he'd be able to go back. Hope died last, but in the process it wore people down.

He looked around Rose’s room. It was bathed in the same golden-turquoise glow as the rest of the ship was. The sheets were turquoise as well, and very soft to the touch. The bed was the only tidy thing about the room. Various items of clothing lay scattered about, and the vanity overflowed with books, magazines and what he supposed were souvenirs from her travels. He stood to examine these things, wondering how old Rose had been when she lived here. How much time had passed since then? The Rose who had inhabited this room had been a lot younger and very different from the woman he knew. His Rose was mature and very well-organised. This room reminded him of Tanya’s. It was a perk of the small rooms in his house — the children were forced to keep them tidy if they wanted to make the most of them. Lucy hogging towels seemed ridiculous in comparison to this chaos.

Fingering some necklaces and bracelets in a dish he wondered if Rose would like any of these things back. Was there a favourite item of clothing, a particularly meaningful souvenir she’d like to have? They had never talked about what it had been like for her and Jackie to start life from scratch. All they’d had when they were stranded in his universe were the clothes on their backs.

He couldn’t imagine it. He knew what starting from scratch meant on an emotional level. That had been an added factor for Rose and Jackie, but at least they’d had each other and Mickey to fall back on. And Jackie had even had her late husband’s doppelgänger. Was that some kink of the Tyler women, falling for doppelgangers of their lost loves?

There were photos among Rose’s things on the vanity. She looked incredibly young in them, and again he wondered how old she’d been when she’d started travelling with the Doctor. She was laughing in most of the pictures, posing with strangers, some of them clearly alien.

Dave sat heavily on the stool in front of the vanity. Rose was posing with someone whose brown, gnarled-looking face reminded him of a tree. Going by the radiant smile and sparkle in the woman’s eyes she was quite young, too young to have a weather-beaten face like this. Dave took a closer look, but unfortunately the exposure was average quality so he couldn’t make out any of the finer details; like if the woman actually _was_ a tree. Then there was a blue-faced, officious looking man who seemed to have had just a moment’s time to have his picture taken with her. He might have been a Sheeryan but upon closer inspection it turned out that the man only had one pair of arms. He had never seen Aquiouk in his alien form. The children had, and for days they’d been unable to stop talking about how his skin was the most beautiful shade of blue. Evie had even tried to capture his likeness, the additional set of arms, and the result was intriguing. Her imagination was something else, and he wondered how Evie would use it when she became older.

One photo in particular caught his attention. Rose was in it, wearing a t-shirt with a Union Jack on the front. A man in a greatcoat had draped his arm around her. They were laughing at the camera, the stranger looked perfectly human, flashing a radiant smile. There was a twinkle in his eye that spelled trouble. His haircut didn’t match the greatcoat at all. At first Dave wasn’t sure what gave him the idea, but then it hit him. The coat looked like it came from the 1940s while the haircut looked very modern. Was he a younger version of the Doctor? Had he looked like that before he had... chosen, for lack of a better word, his current body? Why would he change from those good looks to the ordinary looking bloke he was?

The Doctor remained an enigma.

Dave laughed when he found a black and white photo of the Doctor and Rose on Coronation Day. Rose had never told him about visiting the King’s Coronation. The Doctor sported a quiff that would have put Elvis’ to shame. He had draped his arm around Rose, who stood, her ankles crossed, leaning into him. She was wearing a gorgeous pink skirt with lots of petticoats underneath making it flare out beautifully, and she too had her hair styled according to the latest craze. While Rose was her usual radiant self, the Doctor was beaming, but the arm around Rose suggested his need to protect her. There was a knock on the door, and Dave turned around, startled. He’d completely forgotten about Donna. He smiled sheepishly, but going by her reaction he must have gotten it wrong. Her smile became wistful. “May I come in?”

Dave nodded.

“What chaos,” she said, smiling. She sat on the bed, her eyes roaming over Rose’s possessions.

“Did the Doctor ever tell you about Rose?” Dave asked.

“I’m afraid not. Getting him to talk about her is worse than pulling teeth,” Donna said. “He told me he lost her. But I know that he loved her.” She clamped her hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry.”

Dave shook his head, smiling. “I know how she felt about him.”

“It must be so weird for you to be here. In her past,” Donna said.

Dave chewed the inside of his cheek, holding up the photos he had been looking at. “It’s like meeting a completely different Rose. She looks so young in these.” He passed the photos to Donna.

“She’s beautiful.”

“You’ve never seen photos of her?”

“No. As I said, the Doctor likes keeping stuff to himself,” Donna said.

“Do you know any of these people?” Dave asked, pointing at the photo of the man in the army coat, “Him?”

Donna shook her head. “I’m afraid not.” She sighed. “Is it just me or does this feel like we don’t even know them?”

Dave chewed the inside of his cheek, taking the photos and returning them to where he had found them on the vanity.

“Why don’t we go out? I can’t stand being cooped up inside any more. What about the pub? Or the cinema? I haven’t been in ages,” Donna suggested.

“What if the Doctor returns?” Dave asked. The idea that he might miss the Doctor gave him that crawling sensation beneath his skin again.

Donna smiled. “He’s got my phone number. He’ll find a way to call me. Don’t worry, Dave.”

He sighed, slumping a little. “I’m not sure I can.”

“It’s one thing you learn when you’re travelling with the Doctor. You learn to trust in your own strength. And please don’t tell me you don’t want to go exploring a little and see how this Glasgow is different from yours.”

Donna had a point. Sitting around wouldn’t make any difference.

“All right. Give me a few moments and I’ll meet you in the console room.”

Just like Donna had promised, the TARDIS had cleaned and dried his clothes in what seemed in almost no time at all — if only he had something like that at home. Laundry for six people was a never-ending battle, one of the modern-day Sisyphean tasks. Which was the reason why he sent his laundry to a cleaning service; he’d have to pick up the latest batch tomorrow. If he'd be back by then.

Donna passed him an umbrella when he joined her at the ramp in the console room. It was red and the handle was shaped like a question mark. It looked like a child’s umbrella and he wondered why the Doctor had it. Neither Rose nor Donna had mentioned that the Doctor was a father. Donna picked a huge black umbrella for herself. “Shall we?” she asked. Nodding, he opened the door for her. It was still chucking it down, and he hoped that the nearest cinema was just a few minutes’ walk away, just like back home. 

It had gotten dark and the pavement was glistening with the reflections of the street and shop lights. Dave pulled the small camera out of his pocket and asked Donna to wait for a moment and hold his umbrella. Once he had found the right settings, he placed the camera on a bench and slowly depressed the shutter release.

Glancing up at Donna he saw her smiling indulgently. “So you’re a photographer?”

“Aye.” He picked up the camera and checked the result on the display. “Can I try another?”

“Sure.”

The second photo turned out much better. It wasn’t perfect, but it was better than passing the chance at the shot up altogether. He was glad he had forgotten to take it out of his pocket to transfer the pictures to his computer. He pocketed the camera and took his umbrella from Donna. “Can you show me the photo at the cinema,” Donna said. “It’s just up the street.”

Buchanan Street was a pedestrian area, just like it was back home. Most of the shops were the same too, including the Willow Tea Room, but since it was ghastly cold and wet they pressed on instead of spending the time to take a close tally of the similarities and differences.

When they entered the foyer a shiver passed through him making his skin tingle pleasantly. It was probably just the indoor heat contacting his cold skin. It was probably just the warmth washing over him. It occurred to him that while the cinema itself wasn’t any different from the one back home — even the location and architecture were the same — he had no idea if the films were. He studied the posters on display. There were only a few that rang a bell, but that didn’t mean much because he hadn’t been to the cinema in ages. One poster, however, caught his attention. It announced _Bolt_ , which, if he remembered correctly, was one of the DVDs Anna had given Ewan to watch after Rita’s death.

That was the first time it occurred to him to check the date. “Donna?” he asked.

“Yeah?” She was thumbing through one of the free in-house magazines for information and inspiration.

“What’s the date?”

She stared at him. “We never talked about this, did we?” she suddenly realised. “It’s 26 April 2008.”

It took him a while to register the information, but when he did, he suddenly felt winded and his knees went weak. He hadn’t only travelled between universes, he had also travelled back in time. Rose had looked for the Doctor for two years, probably longer, before he had found her. 

“Here, love, sit down,” Donna said, steering him towards an armchair, shooing the teenager slouching in it away with a rather rude command. Dave sat heavily.

2008.

“Dave?” Donna asked.

He looked at her. She was squatting in front of him, her expression worried. “It’s October 2010 where I come from.”

Donna rocked forwards onto her knees. “So either you travelled in Time or your universe is ahead of ours by two and a half years,” she concluded. “I’d go for the former.”

Dave decided not to debate the issue. He was very new to all this. Donna was the Doctor’s companion; he trusted her to know what was going on. So far, the possibility of time travel hadn’t even occurred to him outside of fiction, no matter how many stories Rose had told him about life in the TARDIS. He exhaled slowly.

“It’s quite a shock. What about having a drink down the pub?” Donna asked.

He found himself shaking his head. There wasn’t anything else they could do, and a film might take his mind off things for a while. Two and a half years ago, his children were wee and he hadn’t known Rose yet. Rita had been alive. ”I’d rather see a film if that’s okay.”


	19. Eighteen

Eighteen

Dave lay in his bed on the TARDIS. He had decided not to sleep in Rose’s room after all. It didn’t feel right. The Doctor seemed to have kept it just like Rose had left it the morning they were separated, and he didn’t want to alter things or upset him. Besides, the Rose who had lived in this room seemed entirely different from the Rose he knew and loved. Donna had no idea how long the Doctor had been separated from Rose; he never really mentioned her. He seemed more and more alien the more Dave learned about him. 

It was safe to assume, however, that less time had passed for the Doctor than it had for Rose. Something told him that he hadn’t really travelled in time. He believed that Time was moving faster in his universe. He was sure that Rose had overcome her grief, but he had no way of knowing if the Doctor had. What if the whole 'walls-breaking-down' thing was because he had started trying to get Rose back?

He had no answer and he knew he’d only drive himself mad if he obsessed on it. It was the same with the children. He was sure that they were being well looked after, at the very least by Lottie. But he was also sure she wasn’t alone in it. Had Anna and Robin jumped in? Or Beattie? He hoped it was Rose, but would she have given up the case to care for his bairns? He was torn – he wanted her to be involved in trying to get him back, and yet he hoped that she was looking after them. He trusted her. More to the point, _they_ trusted her.

Dave sighed and sat up, rubbing his hands over his face. He couldn’t believe that there was nothing he could do apart from accepting his fate. He hated being so helpless.

Folding the duvet back he slipped into his robe and padded to the kitchen for a cup of tea. Once he was done making himself a mug, he took it to Rose’s room, not to snoop but to just be there in an attempt to feel closer to her, even though years had gone by since she’d been in here. He found it slightly spooky that the Doctor hadn’t touched her room since then. It was odd that her bed was made when the rest of the room was in such disarray, but he supposed that she’d always liked going to sleep in a neatly made bed.

What he really needed was a ride on his bike. That always helped clear his head, but of course that wasn’t an option, and what with the weather as _dreich_ as it was a stroll in the rain wasn’t much of an option either.

Hadn’t Donna mentioned a library?

Dave stood and left Rose’s room. He found the library easily enough, and it seemed to be at least twice the size of his house. Strangely enough, the reading room itself was, although spacious, warm and cosy and reminiscent of someone’s lounge rather than the vast reading rooms of the National Library. 

Where was he supposed to start? He didn’t even have the slightest idea of what he wanted to read, what would help him settle down and eventually go to sleep. He recalled Donna’s words when she’d shown him around. She had suggested that he let his subconscious be his guide. If he allowed the TARDIS into his mind she’d help him select reading material. Although he had gotten used to Rose’s presence in his mind, he wasn’t sure he wanted the consciousness of a sentient ship in his thoughts. The word open-minded took on a whole new meaning on the Doctor’s ship. But he supposed he’d have to take a leap of faith. Donna had reassured him that she hadn’t felt quite comfortable at the idea of being so vulnerable at first, but it seemed to work well enough for her now. She’d even used the word comfort once or twice.

He took a deep breath. And suddenly, the idea of a book took shape in his mind. It was a volume about life during the Second World War. Since he didn’t know anything about the period in this universe, he thought it would be a good idea to find out as much as he could so he could of more help to Lily. He might as well make himself useful while he was here. He just had to hope that he'd get back and be able to use the information for something.

Lily.

She was from this universe. He’d promised to help her find out about her fate. But for that kind of research he needed a computer with an Internet connection. 

No sooner had he thought it than both a laptop and a stack of books on the required topic materialised on a table on the right side of the room. The left side was taken up by a grand piano, a sofa and a fireplace. 

Dave took the laptop and sat on the sofa with it, one leg tucked under. The laptop was the same make as the one he used, so he had no trouble calling up the programs he needed for his research. To his surprise he was granted access to the password-protected archives of local newspapers; it seemed the Doctor subscribed to all of them. After a short search he found what he was looking for, and, a chill turning his blood to ice, he leaned back against the cushions. 

He had found Lily’s name in the obituary section. Well, where else would he have found her name if not there? There was no other reason for a girl her age to be mentioned by name, unless, of course... He could trawl the local events pages to see if she’d been mentioned in a report on a concert. 

His search was successful again. And this time, he had a photo to go with the report. It was grainy, but it was definitely Lily — the caption said so as well. She had performed in a concert in a church and her playing had caught the interest and admiration of the journalist. He lauded “her warm, accomplished touch that brought the music to life”.

But there was still the obituary. Lily died on 14 March 1941, roughly a month before her sixteenth birthday. Both sets of grandparents and her godfather Adam McRae were listed as grieving family. Another search uncovered her parents’ obituary for 13 October 1940. Dr Julian Innes and his wife Victoria had been killed in a hotel blast in London.

Dave rubbed his eyes. He was tired, but his mind was still reeling. How could they possibly send her back? He was sure that nothing but death awaited her. Being removed to his universe had saved her life. By the looks of the incident site he could tell that she wouldn’t have survived beneath the rubble. And even if she hadn’t been killed instantly, they likely would have given up looking for survivors long before they found her and she’d have died anyway. Would it be possible for her to return without changing history? Or could she stay in his universe and have the life she wasn’t meant to have in her own?

What made her case different from Rose’s was that Rose had come to his universe with her mother and her best friend. It occurred to him that he had no idea if she’d left anyone else behind who mourned her — apart from the Doctor, that was. Lily, on the other hand, left behind the grandparents she lived with, and her godfather. They’d give anything to have her back. If her body was never found they’d wonder forever.

He raised the mug of tea but it was empty.

Dave closed the browser and the lid of the computer; he’d have to ask Donna if there was a way to print the pages so he could take them back home with him. He wasn’t sure yet what he was going to do with them. Showing them to Lily seemed a bit cruel and unnecessary. 

He wondered why she had been in Glasgow instead of at Muirhouse. And hadn’t she said her parents had lived in Rose’s house? That was miles away from Clydebank. What had she been doing there? Had she been visiting a friend? Had relatives lived there? It was too bad that he’d have to wait to get answers. There was, however, one thing he could do for her. He could go to her old home and take a photo of it. It would be interesting to see if it was very different from Rose’s place.

Selecting the book from the stack that promised to be the most entertaining of the lot he settled back on the sofa. It was a lot like the one Rose had in her lounge. If only she were with him. She’d know what to say and what to do. 

He browsed the book, reading a paragraph here, a page or two there before he finally returned to the table of contents to find a chapter whose title sounded promising. As he began to read the book, as well as his eyelids, began to grow heavy and he thought he’d just rest his arms and eyes for a bit.

He woke to the smell of coffee and toast. Blinking his eyes open, he wondered what he had done to deserve having breakfast served in bed. He hadn’t spent the previous night with Rose, she was...

“Oh.”

He groaned, his hand going to his neck to massage away the soreness. He had fallen asleep on the sofa. The sofa in the TARDIS library.

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” Donna said, smiling. She was sitting in the armchair perpendicular to the sofa. A low coffee table had appeared too, and on it sat a tray with breakfast. “It’s nearly ten and I thought I’d wake you before you got a crick in the neck.”

“Aye, thanks,” he said, sitting up. As he did so, he noticed that he was wrapped in a blanket. He quickly adjusted his robe to be halfway decent in Donna’s presence. As always, he’d only worn his pants to bed.

“I’m glad you fell asleep after all,” Donna said, picking up a bowl of cereal from the tray. She had brought her own breakfast to share it with him. “I had no idea what you liked, so I brought a bit of everything. We’ll have to go shopping later. We’re out of milk.”

Dave laughed. For all the wonders of this ship, they still had to buy food. It was reassuring that life wasn’t all that different, despite all the gallivanting. “Actually, there’s a place I’d like to go and see.” He explained to her about Lily’s home.

“Is Lily the girl you mentioned yesterday?” Donna asked.

“Yes. She’s from over here. That’s why I was reading all of this,” he said, glancing at the books stacked on the end table.

Donna frowned as her eyes travelled the spines and titles of the books. “She’s from the 1940s?”

Dave took the mug of coffee from the tray. The aroma curling up from the mug alone was reviving. He sipped his coffee. It was hot and black and very strong, just like he loved it. “Yes. She was transported — for lack of a better word — to my universe during an air raid. She was killed in that raid. I found her obituary on the Internet.”

“So the Crack saved her life,” Donna concluded. “The poor girl.”

“I’ve been wondering if I can print the pages,” Dave said.

“Yeah, sure.”

“I’m not sure how I’m going to tell her that she died in this universe,” Dave mused, wrapping his fingers around the hot ceramic.

“That’s assuming that you return but she doesn’t,” Donna pointed out, finishing her cereal. “As far as I know, when the Doctor fixes things he puts them back to square one.”

“But we’re from different points in time.”

Donna shrugged. “It’s the way these things work, it appears.”

He sighed, finishing his last triangle of toast. “So that means that Lily will die after all.”

“I’m afraid so, yes.”

“Even if square one, for me, is going to the alley with her to see what’s so special about it?”

“Probably, yeah. Or it could be an earlier point. When the Doctor disappeared,” Donna said. Then she remembered something. “Didn’t you say that your daughter saw him in the street two weeks ago?”

Dave nodded. And then he understood what she meant. “He’s been stuck in my universe for two weeks, but only a few days have passed for you.”

Donna bit her lip and studied the milky dregs at the bottom of her bowl.

His heart was in his mouth and he sat back against the cushions. For a few moments it was hard to concentrate on anything but trying to keep his breathing in check. How much time, he wondered, had passed back home? How long had his children been waiting for him, asking for him and wondering why he didn’t so much as call them? It hadn’t even been 24 hours for him. While he knew that they trusted the adults around them, he wondered how they would cope with his prolonged absence. There was no pretty lie to tell them. Even if he stayed away overnight he would call them every night to say good night to them. Evie survived one night without a story. But two, or even three nights? More? They must be terrified of losing him. He pushed his fingers through his hair. If Paul’s Illness hadn’t traumatised them, his going missing certainly would.

“We’d better get going,” Donna said gently. “Last time I checked, the rain had let up a bit.”

Numb, Dave nodded. He needed to do something, even if it was just getting a pint of milk and a loaf of bread.

-:-

The rain had ceased for the moment, but the pair didn’t want to risk it so they bundled up against the cold and took their umbrellas. They entered the Sainsbury on Buchanan Street a few minutes later. It wasn’t any different from the supermarkets he knew, and most of the brands were familiar as well. It was good to see that the small things, at least, seemed to be the same. 

He picked up a basket; it was clear that Donna was in charge of their shopping. He was sure that she’d ask him if there was something he wanted.

“Donna?”

“Yeah?” she asked, not really paying attention to him as she selected fruit and veg.

“I was wondering if I could prepare dinner for us,” he suggested timidly. The truth was that the busier he kept, the better he could deal with panic attacks. “Is there anything you don’t like? Are you a vegetarian?”

“I was thinking of going out, but I definitely won’t say no to a home-cooked meal,” Donna said. “What did you have in mind?”

“Risotto,” he said. “I used to make a mean one, but it takes time to make it properly and time is something you don’t have with four bairns about.”

“Be my guest,” Donna beamed. “I’ll get the things we need and you pick up what you need. The kitchen is well-equipped with the basics, by the way.”

Dave smiled gratefully at her and went off to pick up Arborio rice, white wine — although he was sure the TARDIS had a wine cellar — and then he went in search of fresh ingredients. Mushrooms were always an option, but he was looking for something more fancy. Maybe there was some early asparagus to be had.

As he returned to the fruit and veg section and looked up from the contents of his basket he stopped dead in his tracks. He knew that gesture. Rita used to brush her hair behind her ear when she was lost in thought or slightly nervous. That woman did it in just the same way, only her hair was longer. 

He stood, watching her. He wasn’t sure at first, but the way she moved, her form, they were just like Rita. 

It _was_ Rita.

His heart pounding, he wondered what to do. He had no idea who she was in this universe, and since there wasn’t another Dave Tiler, she wouldn’t know who he was and probably just walk away shrugging and thinking what a _glaikit_ bloke he was. How did you talk to the woman who was the lost love of your life, the mother of your children, but who didn’t have any idea who you were?

Eventually, she stopped across from him, assessing the veg spread out between them. She looked up, smiling.

It definitely was Rita.

He gasped.

“Are you all right?” she asked.

“Aye,” he croaked.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Well, you are. Not a ghost. But the spitting image of someone I knew. Two peas in a pod.”

Rita laughed. It was only then that he realised that they were talking across a wide expanse of peas. He chuckled, relaxing.

This was Rita two years ago, just starting her teacher training course. _His_ Rita. He had no idea who this Rita was.

“What happened?” she asked, trailing her fingers over the plump green pods.

Dave stared. What was he to tell her? “I lost her.”

When Rita replied, she said she was sorry. She obviously had no idea what had happened. “Well,” she said. “I need to go.”

“Give my love to Lucy,” he blurted, clamping his mouth shut as soon as the words had left it.

“Who?” she asked.

A shiver ran down his spine. There was no Lucy in this universe.

“No one,” he said. “My bad. I’m sorry.” He tightened his grip around the handle of his basket and disappeared through a gap in the display to pet food. He took a deep breath or two. How horrible, how embarrassing, had that been? Had it been like this when Rita had first come to his studio to have Lucy’s photo taken? Did her reaction just now mean that there was no Lucy in this universe? His heart constricted. It was bad enough to know that none of the wee ones existed Over Here, but no Lucy at all shook him to the core.

“I hope you’re not going to put cat food in our risotto,” Donna quipped. “Oh love, you’re as white as a sheet. What happened?”

“I just met my late wife,” he said, looking up in a daze when Donna’s words finally registered with him.

Donna stared at him. “What did you want to put into the risotto?”

“Asparagus,” he said, blinking. “Do we have onions?”

“Yes. Green or white?”

“What?”

“The asparagus. Green or white?”

“I don’t care.”

“Stay here. I’ll just go and pick it up. And then we’ll go to a pub. You need something stronger than coffee to revive you.”

“Thank you.”

“Which one is she?”

“Petite, shoulder-length dark hair. Red coat.”

Donna nodded and snagged the basket from him.

Dave stood, leaning against the shelf until a little old lady gave him a hard stare because he blocked her access to the tins of cat food she needed. “Would you mind?” she asked. “Five of the ones right by your shoulder.”

“Sure,” Dave mumbled, picking up the tins and placing them in the lady’s trolley.

“Thanks, dearie,” she said, shuffling off.


	20. Nineteen

Nineteen

“We didn’t ring Dad,” Evie pointed out when Rose tucked her in on Monday night. As always, Rose tied up the sash of Amy’s pinafore to make her pretty for bed. Evie was sitting up, the duvet bunched up around her waist, her hands folded expectantly as she watched her tie the ribbons.

“We didn’t, did we?” Rose mumbled. “There, all done.” She gave Amy to Evie, who promptly tucked her in so the doll sat on her lap beneath the covers.

“Is it too late now to call him?” Evie asked.

“I’m so sorry, sweetheart. Will you be able to go to sleep?”

Evie nodded, trying to be a big girl all of a sudden. “Can I have extra cuddles?”

Rose smiled, relieved. “Of course you can. What story would you like to hear tonight?”

“I don’t know. You choose,” she said, pointing at the bookcase facing her bed. Rose had noticed before that it was filled near to overflowing with books. She was amazed, once again, about how Dave and Rita had managed to put a serious number of books in every room. It was part of the charm of the house in Hillingdon Drive; it had a very lived-in, loved feeling although it needed a touch of paint here and there. It felt so much warmer than her own house.

Rose stood and stepped towards the shelf. There were quite a few children’s books she didn’t know, some of which, her mum had told her, didn’t exist Over There. She chose one of those, and just as she was about to return to the bed, a birthday calendar caught her attention. It hadn’t yet been changed to October, so Rose gave Evie the book before she tended to the calendar. There were several entries, but only one name was adorned with a circle of golden stars. It was Dad. And his birthday was next Sunday.

“Evie!” Rose cried in shock. “It’s your Dad’s birthday at the weekend.”

Evie’s eyes lit up. “Oh yes! Granddad’s coming too. He promised to come when we went to see him in the holidays, didn’t he?”

“Oh yes, he did. What are you going to give your Dad?” Rose asked, returning to the bed. She knew when Dave’s birthday was, of course, but in the excitement of the past days she’d completely forgotten about it. She had no idea if he’d be back by then. The kids would be devastated if he wasn’t.

“I’m making him a calendar. Lottie is helping me with it. I’m drawing pictures and then I glue them on the pages for the months. I’ve already made five,” she said excitedly. “Do you want to see them?”

She was about to jump up when Rose touched her arm to make her stay in bed. “Tomorrow, yeah? You can show me tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

“Now, about the story.”

“Yay!”

Rose sat, leaning back against the headboard, and Evie snuggled up to her for her story. It occurred to her that the little girl was becoming more clingy the longer Dave was missing. It was heartbreaking to watch, and Rose hoped that the Doctor would find a solution soon. He’d been in this universe for two weeks, but, according to him, only a few days would have passed in his. He’d noticed the difference in the speed at which time pased in the two universes the first time they had crossed over. Dave probably wasn’t aware of that fact, which was a bit of a consolation because she knew he would be beside himself with worry and self-loathing if he knew what he was putting his children through.

“Okay. Here goes,” Rose said, thumbing to the first page.

-:-

When Rose crawled into her own bed after she had spent the rest of the evening chatting to Lottie, she was exhausted but funable to sleep. She pushed her face into Dave’s pillow. Underneath the perfume of her shampoo she could still make out his scent and she clung to it like a lifeline.

“Oh Dave,” she whispered. “I miss you so much.”

She wanted nothing more than to curl up against him. The feeling of loss and abandonment returned; she’d first felt it when they had made love for the first time. He’d had to leave then, to return home to keep up appearances. It had been his scent clinging to her own linen that had anchored her and reminded her of the fact that they’d really made love. It had seemed to overwhelmingly surreal at the time, so very soon after they had met, so very soon after their respective losses.

And now it seemed she had lost him again. Her lovers always left.

She rolled onto her back, throwing an arm over her forehead.

She mustn’t think like that. She hadn’t lost him, and neither had he left her. They had been torn apart. It was a brutal word for a cruel event.

Her team and the Doctor were doing everything in their power to figure things out. He was concentrating on why he was here to begin with. What caused the whole thing in the first place. Well, they knew that, of course. Or thought they did. That was the impression Rose got the more she thought about it.

He’d been over here for two weeks without finding out anything, despite his timey-wimey detector. It hadn’t gone ding yet, there didn’t seem to be _stuff_. 

“Don’t think like that,” Rose admonished herself, switching on the light.

She picked up her notepad and pen from the empty half of the bed and began to work through her notes and diagrams once more. Perhaps there was one small thing they had overlooked, one tiny detail that made all the difference.

Eventually, the letters started to become blurry and her thoughts seemed to move in circles, and whenever an answer seemed to be close it slipped out of her grasp, mocking her and playing hide and seek amongst the words of the question. She found herself nodding off.

When she woke, watery light was streaming in through the wet window. Groggy, she lifted her wrist to check the time. It was eight twenty-one.

Rose sat upright in the bed. Why hadn’t the alarm gone off?

She hadn’t set it, that was why. She had completely forgotten about the alarm. When she listened for noise in the house, she couldn’t hear anything. Either everyone, including conscientious Lottie, had overslept or they had already left the house.

Rose got up to check Evie’s room. Her bed was neatly made, and all the other children’s rooms were equally deserted and tidied. She slumped against the door frame of Paul’s room and slid down to sit, her head dropping to her knees. She’d failed them because she’d been so wrapped up in her worry about Dave. It mustn’t happen again. The Doctor and her team were working on it. It was her job now to take care of the kids. For Dave. It was the least she could do for him after forcing him into this mess.

-:-

It was her turn to pick the girls up from Orchestra practice. The rain was falling heavily once more, her feet splashing on the wet pavement as she hurried to the school building. It was parents’ night and she had been lucky to find a small parking space left; Lottie had advised her to take her small car because there was no way she’d be able to park anywhere near the school with the battleship of family car Dave owned. Lily or Lucy would have to squeeze in with their bags, umbrellas and Lucy’s violin case, but they’d manage. Luckily, Lily could leave the cello she had borrowed from the school in the music room.

Dave had made an appointment with Miss Redfern, the new teacher Paul and Ewan seemed to adore, to get to know her and to ask her a few questions about the project. Although she knew that Miss Redfern wasn’t allowed to answer any questions about the boys’ performance because Rose wasn’t a legally appointed guardian, she thought it good manners to go to her to apologise for Dave’s absence in person. That way, she’d be able to get an impression of the woman without causing her any problems. And a few general questions on the project couldn’t hurt either.

The appointment policy on parents’ night — although it meant that each parent was only assigned a slot of ten minutes — had the advantage of reducing the queue outside Miss Redfern’s classroom. No sooner had Rose taken a seat than the door opened and her predecessor left a few minutes early. It was good too, she thought, because some of the other parents waiting were starting to look twice at her, wondering if it could really be Rose Tyler waiting to talk to a teacher of her lover’s sons. She rose quickly and pulled the door closed behind her as she stepped into the classroom.

“Hello. I’m sorry I’m a little early,” Rose began. It was probably very rude not to give the woman some time to collect herself, even after the parent before her had left early.

“Oh, no, don’t worry. Have a seat. What can I do for you, Mrs Tiler? Or is it Mrs Morris?” she asked, quickly checking her name list. Then she offered her hand for Rose to shake, and as she did so, a tingling sensation, not unpleasant, travelled up Rose’s arm. She shivered.

Miss Redfern’s startlingly blue eyes widened for a moment, and her expression shifted from surprise to disbelief to annoyance in rapid succession, but then she eventually managed to school her features into friendly but reserved politeness.

Rose frowned briefly

“Actually, it’s Miss Tyler,” Rose said. “Mr Tiler, Paul and Ewan’s Dad, is unable to come, I’m afraid.” She gauged Miss Redfern’s reaction. Although she looked very young, there was something about her eyes that suggested she had seen many things in her life. She was very pretty, with gorgeous dark locks tumbling down her shoulders, and her petite frame was made for the very elegant, feminine fashion style that was all the craze now. It occurred to Rose briefly that the teacher and Lily would get along very well. She had no idea where that thought came from, and she dismissed it quickly.

“I’m sorry to hear that. I hope he isn’t unwell,” she offered.

“Oh, no. It’s work. He’s standing in for a colleague and he had to leave town for a few days. He asked me to let you know, and I thought I’d tell you in person,” Rose said. Miss Redfern seemed one of the few people who didn’t recognise her, and Rose was very grateful for it. There was, however, something about Miss Redfern that seemed very familiar, but Rose couldn’t think for the life of her what that was. She also had the impression that Miss Redfern was confused, and not because of Dave’s absence.

“Well, what can I do for you, Miss Tyler?”

“Oh, that’s all. I’m not... in charge of the boys but I was wondering if I could ask you something about the project in general.”

Miss Redfern consulted her list. “It says here,” she said, looking up — and Rose couldn’t help being startled by her beautiful, deep blue eyes, those ancient eyes — “that you are. Mr Tiler has authorised you to act on his behalf.”

“Oh.”

“He hasn’t told you,” the teacher said, bemused by the fact that Rose was unaware of such an important thing.

“No. He must have forgotten to tell me. Life has been a bit mad lately,” Rose quickly said. She shivered when she realised why the teacher seemed so familiar. The prickling on her skin that Rose had noticed earlier was because the woman facing her was psychic, if not a fully-blown telepath. Rose blinked.

“Miss Tyler?”

Rose wondered if Miss Redfern had noticed that she was a telepath too, but she knew that if she closed herself off to her now she’d surely notice.

“I’m just a bit surprised, is all. It’s a little unexpected,” she said. And it was. Dave really hadn’t told her — or even asked her — that he had named her as next of kin to the school in case of an emergency. She supposed that that had happened in the aftermath of the pap shot, when Dave had talked to the headmaster about protecting everyone’s privacy. It seemed like him to forget to mention something like this, and he had made it a point to include her in the family as much as possible. A warm feeling of trust washed through her.

“I need you to sign a permission slip for a day trip we’ve planned for this Friday,” Miss Redfern said. “We’re going to visit the Egypt exhibit.”

“Oh, sure,” Rose said, accepting the pen Miss Redfern was offering her. Their fingers brushed against each other’s in the process and there was a visible reaction from her, although she didn’t seem to know what had just happened. Rose ducked her head and filled in the forms, signing them and pushing them across the table towards Miss Redfern.

“I’m sorry, I just came to tell you... I need to go. The girls are waiting for me and it’s so horrible out,” Rose said, rising.

Miss Redfern’s wide-eyed gaze followed her before she remembered her manners and stood too. “Yes, it’s been a nightmare,” she agreed.

“Thank you, Miss Redfern,” Rose said, offering her hand on a whim. She was composed enough, she hoped, not to give herself away immediately. She only wanted to get away before the teacher became aware of what had just happened. Rose knew she couldn’t run away from her forever, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to, because meeting another telepath was intriguing, but she couldn’t deal with her just now. She had Lily and Lucy to take care of. “Goodbye.”

She rushed out of the room, leaving behind a slightly startled teacher.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Lucy said as she met her and Lily in the warm, stuffy foyer of the music and art wing.

“It’s nothing quite as dramatic,” Rose smiled. 

“Does Miss Refern not live up to the Boys’ description? Everyone seems to love her,” Lily pointed out.

“Oh no, she is lovely,” Rose hastened to say. “I’ve just had an... interesting conversation with her, is all.”

Lucy and Lily exchanged a quick glance that made it quite clear that they didn’t believe a single word she’d just said. Rose sighed inwardly. “Come on, let’s go.”

-:-

Dinner had been ‘build your own burger’ and the resulting mess had left the table looking a bit like a battlefield. Rose and Lottie scrubbed it clean while the kids did their homework. They were sitting having a cup of coffee, and Rose had just explained that Dave had authorised her to act on his behalf when the children entered the kitchen as a group.

Evie exchanged glances with her siblings before she stepped forward to speak. “Can we talk to Dad? Please?”

Lottie and Rose exchanged glances. They’d been putting them off for two nights and it was very unlikely that they’d get away with another white lie.

The children all picked up on their reluctance, but it was Lucy who broke the spell and asked, “Where is he? He’s not on some business trip. I sent him an email, and he didn’t answer it. And he always does.”

Rose cursed herself. She’d underestimated Lucy, and she’d been able to tell in the car that the atmosphere between the girls had been tense. It was unfair to ask Lily to keep that secret from her friend. She had to admit that she hadn’t taken into account the children's ability to sense when things weren’t quite right. Rose wondered how quickly they’d picked up on the tight-lipped adults who’d handled them with kid gloves until Dave arrived to tell them that their mother had been killed in an accident.

“Did something happen to him?” Lucy asked softly.

“No!” Ewan protested and Evie looked at him in shock.

“Not like that,” Lottie said. “Come on, let’s go to the lounge. Rose will tell you everything and I’ll join you there with some hot chocolate.”

“No, I want you there,” Evie cried, clearly distressed. She hurried to Lottie to reinforce her point by throwing her arms around her midriff.

“Rose! What happened?” Paul demanded to know. He was the calmest of them all, but he’d gone pale and leaned into Lucy who draped her arm around her brothers’ shoulders.

“Let’s...” Rose began, but Ewan put his foot down by flopping onto a chair, his arms crossed and glowering at them, determined not to me moved. He wouldn’t allow her to buy more time to gather her wits. “Sit. Please.”

Evie climbed onto Lottie’s lap while Lucy and Paul sat on the bench. Rose exchanged glances with Lottie. Then she drew a deep breath. “Dave went to the place where he found me. It’s something adults sometimes do, to remind them of things.”

“Why?”

Rose smiled. “It’s like looking at a photo, yeah? When you look at pictures of your mum, you can remember her better, can’t you?”

“We didn’t do it last night,” Evie said, nodding. “I missed it.”

“Well, he went to that spot, and he took a step too far and was transported into another world,” Rose said, for lack of anything better to say. 

”What do you mean, _he disappeared_?” Ewan demanded to know.

How did you explain to these kids that their father had been sucked into the parallel universe she hailed from, because the fabric of Space and Time had worn thin like the bottoms and knees of their trousers?

“What?” Lucy cried.

“Is it a case for Torchwood?” Ewan asked eagerly. He was still very impressed by what the Institute had done for Paul in the summer.

Glad to have firm ground beneath her feet once more, Rose continued, “Yes. Mickey and Jake are working on bringing him back.”

Ewan sat back and relaxed, satisfied with the explanations. He was so protective of her, and his faith in her was touching, and a little bit overwhelming. Lucy, on the other hand, was more inquisitive. “Why did he find you there?”

Rose bit her lip. She hadn’t meant to tell them the whole story, but she’d betrayed their trust so awfully that she decided to be honest with them. “I —”

“I don’t understand,” Paul cut in. The others nodded, although Lucy seemed a little less lost than the little ones.

“I used to live in a parallel universe. Imagine a sapling, a very small tree. When it grows, it grows branches and twigs and gets taller, yeah?” Rose began. The children nodded eagerly. “So, when you make a decision, it’s like growing new twigs from that decision. You sit in that tree and when two new twigs grow you decide which one you want to be on.”

“Aye!” Evie nodded, rapt now and probably imagining herself sitting in that tree.

“So, the other twigs are empty, but they still grow leaves. A parallel universe is like such a twig,” Rose concluded.

“But sometimes you can hop from twig to twig? Is that what you mean?” Lucy asked.

“Yeah, that’s it exactly. Only you’re not meant to.”

“Because we’re people and not birds or squirrels and we can fall,” Evie said.

“So why did Dad jump?” Paul wondered.

“He didn’t, he slipped,” Rose said.

“But you jumped. You said you wanted to see your friend again,” Lucy pressed.

Rose exhaled. “Because I am from another twig. And so’s he.”

Everyone, including Lottie, stared at her.

“What?”

“How?”

“Why?”

“It was an accident. A few years ago aliens tried to invade Earth, and my friend and I fended them off, but I slipped and fell. My Dad, Pete, caught me and he saved my life. My Mum and Mickey are from my twig, from the same universe as I am,” Rose said.

“And you tried to jump to get back to your friend because you loved him,” Lucy concluded.

“Yes.”

“But You slipped again, and you stayed here,” Paul said.

“Wow,” Evie said.

“And Dad found you after such a failed jump,” Lucy said.

Rose nodded. “And I’m very glad he did.”

“Don’t you miss your friend?”

“I do, but it’s not so bad because I have you and your Dad now,” Rose said.

The kitchen was silent for a while, except for the ticking of the clock and the patter of rain against the windows.

“Is Dad in your universe?” Paul asked.

Rose inhaled deeply. She couldn’t be sure so she put all her hope and conviction into her answer. ”Yes.”


	21. Twenty

Twenty

Silence descended on the kitchen once more as the children took in what they had just learned. Paul drew idle patterns on the tabletop while Ewan’s gaze was directed inward as he mulled things over. Evie had rested her head on Lottie’s shoulder. Rose and Lottie remained silent to give the children some space. She was contemplating, at one point, getting up to make the children some hot chocolate, just like Lottie had suggested earlier, but she didn’t want to give the bairns the impression that she was looking for an easy way out. So she remained seated across from the boys, waiting for them to speak, ready to face the music.

“What happens if we don’t get Dad back?” Lucy asked eventually.

Rose looked up in shock. She hadn’t even seriously contemplated the idea that there might be no way back through the Void. The Doctor was here now; he’d find a solution. He always did. Well. Almost always. He’d told her once that this universe wasn’t made for Time Lords, so she could imagine that his staying here would have far-reaching consequences which, she was sure, were to be avoided at all costs.

“We will get him back,” Rose said firmly.

Lucy opened her mouth to say something, but she clamped it shut. She seemed to realise that confronting Rose wouldn’t do any good in front of the children. She could ask what she needed to know later on, when the wee ones weren’t around. 

Rose smiled. Even in her thoughts she was beginning to refer to the children as _bairns_ and _wee_ , just like Dave did.

Lucy’s doubts were legitimate, even if they were uncomfortable. Rose wondered why it was that her faith in the Doctor remained unshakable although it had taken him years to find a way back to her. But he hadn’t really, had he? The fabric separating the universes was wearing thin, that was why he was here, not out of a deliberate attempt to get her back. Did that mean that he had given up on her? Or had he just let go of her? She it was the latter because she didn’t want him to hurt.

She thought it better not to mention the Doctor’s presence, even if Evie had already met him. Evie didn’t know who the Doctor was, or what he could do. It would be safe, for now, not to mention him her presence again. 

“But you’re off the case,” Paul pointed out after a while.

“So I am, because your Dad’s involved,” Rose explained. “We have a rule at Torchwood that we step down as soon as things get personal, and that’s what happened. I stepped down when we treated you for the Illness. And look at you. Here you are, alive and kicking.” 

Evie giggled, but her older siblings nodded solemnly.

“I trust my team. They will find a way to get your Dad back. I want him back too, you know,” she added, smiling. She exchanged glances with Lucy. She was the only one of the children who knew about the engagement, and she implored her to keep that secret for now. The girl nodded almost imperceptibly. 

“Can I have a hot chocolate now?” Evie asked, pushing herself away from Lottie’s shoulder. Ewan nodded, and when Evie slid off her lap, Lottie stood to make them their treats. When she asked if anyone else would like a mug, all of them nodded. Rose felt she could do with something sweet too.

“What’s it like on the other twig?” Ewan asked, curious now.

“It’s not all that different from here, but there are some things we... well, that do not exist here. Like _Where the Wild Things Are_ ,” Rose explained.

“What’s that?” Ewan wanted to know.

“It’s a picture book about a naughty boy who goes on an exciting adventure.”

Ewan made a dismissive gesture as soon as he heard that Rose was talking about a picture book. Of course, he was much too old for something like that, but Rose could tell that, secretly, his curiosity was piqued.

“I’d like you to read it to me,” Evie said.

Rose smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I don’t have it.”

“Och,” she complained, crossing her arms, but when Lottie served her a mug of hot chocolate her annoyance seemed to be forgotten.

“I can always tell you the story and you draw the pictures,” Rose said.

Evie shrugged. It was understandable that she was annoyed that Dave wasn’t there to read to her in the evenings, and she’d been very patient so far. As had the other children. It was only a matter of time until they broke. Rose had had a similar experience with Tony when their parents had left him with her for the duration of a long weekend.

“Will he be back by Sunday?” Paul asked.

Rose opted for honesty. “I don’t know, but I think we should go ahead with plans for his birthday anyway. Plus, Your grandfather wants to see you.”

“Yes, unless there’s some über-important discovery that demands his attention,” Lucy said bitterly. To Rose’s shock, Ewan nodded and Paul’s lips thinned as he pressed them together.

“Then we’ll have the party with Beattie, Anna and Robin,” Lottie decided.

“And Paul will make the cake, yeah, Paul?” Evie asked enthusiastically. Her oldest brother nodded, indulging her.

“Maybe we can use a new recipe? We’d have to test it first, of course,” Rose said with a wink.

“Yay!” Ewan said. “Can we test one now?”

Rose laughed. “We’ll have to find one first. And then we’ll have to get the ingredients. What do you say we give it a try on Thursday?” That gave them something to look forward to, even if it was something small like making a cake together.

The children nodded, smiling. Even Lucy had pulled herself together and managed a soft smile.

Maybe this wasn’t so bad after all. They’d get to know each other very well, Rose thought, now that Dave wasn’t here and they had to master everyday life together. 

-:-

Rose went to bed late again. She had tried to focus on her book, sipping a dram, but she found that now that the children knew she was more worried than ever. They had seemed very brave earlier, but it was stupid to assume that they hadn’t been affected by the news. She was sure that it would take them a day or two to appreciate the implications. Rose hoped that the Doctor would find a way to get Dave back before things got really bad.

She raised her hands above her head, brushing the smooth headboard with her knuckles in the process. Sleeping in Dave’s bed without Dave was strange, and his scent had evaporated and been replaced with her own. Still she didn’t want to change the linen — it felt a little like giving up and betraying Dave.

Rose wondered where he was now. If the Crack was only between Here and Over There it wasn’t too bad. At least her world wasn’t so different to what he knew, but she couldn’t help worrying where he was staying, how we was getting through the day. He had no home and he usually carried only a little cash because he preferred using his credit card which wouldn’t work Over There. She couldn’t imagine him sleeping rough. Hopefully, someone had found him and helped him. Maybe he’d even found the TARDIS, but Rose doubted that. Donna would help him, of that the Doctor had reassured her, but chances were that Dave didn’t even think of looking for the TARDIS.

“Oh Dave,” Rose whispered, trying hard to suppress tears of worry and sympathy. How lost and lonely he must feel, and if he was all by himself he’d have no hope of ever finding a way back. What added further to her worry was the fact that Lily had been transported in Time as well as in Space. What if Dave had been sent to 1941? Or the future? Or even further back in Time? Either way, he’d be completely lost because the past and the future were like foreign countries, no matter how much history you thought you knew.

Rose drew in a deep breath. She mustn’t panic. The bairns would pick up on her tension. She couldn’t allow that to happen. Dave would kill her. Besides, Rose Tyler didn’t panic. She’d gotten the Doctor back under far worse circumstances. She was going to get Dave back.

She rolled onto her side, facing the empty half of the bed, flinging out her left arm as if reaching for Dave across the expanse of the mattress. She bit her lip as another wave of desperation washed over her. What if Dave was denied another night at a hotel because he didn’t have enough money — or the right money — to pay for his room? What if he hadn’t enough left over to feed himself?

Rose rolled onto her other side, her hand dangling over the edge of the bed this time. He must be frightened, terrified by this new world. He had nowhere to turn to because his counterpart was the Doctor and the Doctor didn’t have any family she knew of.

Rose tossed and turned for a while, the same scenarios playing in her mind over and over again. 

If only there was a way to set up a beacon for him, a lighthouse.

In one of the images her mind conjured up for her she saw him in Lily’s place, being swept off his feet by the shock wave of an exploding bomb, his body hurled through the air like Amy, limbs flailing and limp, before he crashed into the street or a wall. She could see him lie there, unmoving, ghostly pale, bleeding from numerous wounds as his arms and legs lay twisted, his head tilted at an unnatural angle, his beautiful eyes staring at her imploringly, accusingly, asking her, _Why?_

_Help me, Rose._

_Help me._

_Rose._

_Rose!_

Rose sat up, startled.

“Rose?”

She tried to control her breathing.

“Rose?”

She cried out in shock when she saw someone Dave-shaped sitting on the empty half of the bed. It was hard to tell who it was in the diffuse light, and her mind was sleep-addled and troubled by the images of her dreams.

“Dave?” she asked, her heart beating fast. She felt dizzy with the burst of adrenaline that coursed through her body. It was like a mixture of the fuzzy warmth of whisky and the stimulating energy of coffee that made her body go tense and her mind into full alertness.

“No. It’s just me. The Doctor.”

Before she knew what she was doing, she was giving the Doctor a resounding slap that echoed in the stillness of the room; it sounded very painful. “How dare you?” she spat.

“What!?” He jumped off the bed.

“How dare you... How did you get in?”

“Through the door, like any _civilised_ person.”

“I locked it.”

“I unlocked it,” he said casually, reminding Rose that sometimes he did not care one iota about the rules of polite society. Not one bit. And he wondered why that earned him a slap?

“What if one of the children had seen you? You’d have scared the living daylights out of them,” Rose pointed out.

“I’ve already met Evie. This _is_ Evie Tiler’s home, isn’t it?” he added as an afterthought.

“Yes!” Rose said testily. “But the others don’t know you. And it’s morris, not Tiler.”

“They’d have thought I was Dave,” he said reasonably.

“They _know_ , Doctor. They know what happened. So how do you think they’d have reacted to seeing _you_?” Rose said.

“That bad, am I?”

“No!” Rose said in exasperation. She’d forgotten how thick he could be. “They are gutted that their father has gone missing. How do you think they’d react if they found that you’re responsible?”

“So it’s my fault now, is it?” the Doctor groused.

Rose slumped. “No. It’s not. But imagine seeing the person you miss most and then having to find out that you’re mistaken? Do you have _any_ idea of how crushing that is?”

“Yes,” he said softly. “Yes, Rose. I do.”

Rose didn’t say anything. What was she to say? After all this time he still hadn’t learned how to express his feelings.

“Which is why I have found a way to communicate with Dave. Well, at least I think I have. I wanted to share it with you. Well. I want you to try it. Bit awkward, really, to call my doppelgänger. I thought you’d better do that,” he said.

“What?” Rose asked, dazed as the buzz of whisky and coffee abated.

“Call Dave,” the Doctor said. “Oh, did I mention that I don’t have his number? You might want to use this phone, though. I’ve... tinkered with it. A little. Don’t worry about the phone bill,” he said, digging in his coat pocket. He produced a nondescript smart phone and knelt on the bed beside her.

Rose took it without thinking. “And this works?”

“That’s for you to find out,” he said.

How could he? How could he build a house of cards like this? Had he any idea of what the ramifications would be if it collapsed? The challenge, the prospect, however, were more intriguing.

Rose’s fingers moved clumsily over the keyboard as she dialled Dave’s number. She knew it by heart; she’d memorised it, just in case. When she raised the phone to her ear the Doctor reached behind him to switch on the lamp on the bedside table. He looked excited up to his hair, just like he always did when he tested a new theory or device. He was a bit too confident for her taste. He really had no idea how crushing failure would be to her because he always bounced back so quickly. But of course, she realised, it was just a brave mask he put on. Establishing the trans-universal connection meant a step closer to home for him.

Rose locked eyes with the Doctor. Despite his superior hearing she couldn’t help telling him that the call was connecting; he needed the reassurance just as much as she did.

“Hello?” 

It was Dave. He sounded surprised.

“Dave?” she said, her voice cracking.

“Rose? Oh thank God, it’s you!” Dave said. He sounded close to weeping with joy.

“Where are you?”

“In a supermarket on Buchanan Street. In your universe. Donna’s here too,” he said.

The Doctor’s eyes went wide, and Rose nearly dropped the phone, she was so relieved that Dave seemed to be doing well despite everything. 

“How are the bairns?” Dave asked.

“Okay, I think. They’ve just learned that you’re not really on a business trip,” Rose said.

“How did they take it?” Thankfully, he didn’t call her on her lie.

“Their faith in Torchwood is terrifying,” she said. “Where are you staying?”

“In the TARDIS. How long has it been? Since I’ve gone missing?”

“Two and a half days. It’s Wednesday,” she checked the alarm clock on the bedside table, “morning.”

“Monday morning,” Dave said.

“Is Donna with you?” the Doctor interrupted.

Dave hesitated a little before he replied, “Aye.”

“Can I talk to her?”

“She’s not around at the moment. She’s in a different aisle,” he said. “Are you the Doctor?”

“Yeah.”

“Tell me you can get me back home,” Dave said.

“I can get you back home. It’s very good to see that we can talk on the phone. It makes things a lot easier. The thing is, it’s only one way right now, you can’t call us, we can only call you. But I'm working on making it possible for you to call us,” the Doctor replied.

“Okay. I’ll make sure to keep the phone switched on and charged,” Dave said.

“There’s a universal charger on the console. It’s the disk covered in orange felt. Right next to the handbrake.”

“The handbrake. Your ship has a handbrake.”

“Well, of course it has,” the Doctor said, mildly annoyed, rolling his eyes.

“Right. Does it work like an ordinary handbrake?”

The Doctor frowned. It was obvious he was sceptical about Dave’s intelligence.

“Yes, it does,” Rose jumped in. “The bairns are fine.”

“Good.”

“They’ve been wanting to talk to you,” Rose said.

“Well then, let them.”

“It’s four in the morning.”

“Oh,” he said. “What’s the Doctor doing in my bedroom? I assume you’re at mine?”

“He came to tell me the good news. He couldn’t wait and he earned his slap,” Rose said, smiling good-naturedly.

“Well, call me any time. I miss you, Rose.”

“The Doctor can hear you, Dave.”

“Well, tell him to go away. I want a verbal hug from my fiancée,” Dave said.

Covering the mike with her thumb, Rose asked the Doctor to leave. “Just for a moment, yeah? Please?”

The Doctor nodded, got up and left. She hoped that none of the children would wake. Their bedrooms were just across the hall and she wondered how Dave and Rita had ever managed to remain discreet. She shook her head to clear it of that thought.

“Hey,” Rose said. “Are you all right?”

“Scared,” he said.

“So am I. But we’re going to be all right, yeah? It’s great news. We can talk over the phone without the Doctor burning up a sun. At least I think so.”

“I’m not sure that’s reassuring.”

“I love you, Dave.”

“I love you too. Tell the bairns I love them. Call me any time. I want to talk to them so badly.”

“So, how’s life Over There?”

“Not too bad. There are a few things we don’t have.”

“Who’re you talking to?” It was the Donna Over There.

“Rose.” Dave quickly explained to Donna about the connection the Doctor had managed to establish.

“I want to talk to him,” Donna demanded.

“Sorry, Rose. Is that okay?” Dave asked. He sounded like he wanted her to say no, but Rose couldn’t deny Donna that request. If she was anything like _her_ Donna, she wouldn’t take no for an answer anyway, and Dave knew that.

“Sure.” Rose got out of bed and opened the door to gesture for the Doctor to come back in.


	22. Twenty-One

Twenty-One

She could feel the Doctor’s eyes on her as she stepped into the hall. She had nicked one of Dave’s few dress shirts to sleep in, hoping that she’d feel closer to him that way. Her slippers had gone AWOL and so she’d put on the thick woollen socks Pete had brought her from Aotearoa. At the time she’d thought that the socks, hat and gloves were a bit rubbish as a souvenir, but when she had found out that the wool was the warmest and softest in the world she was eternally grateful for them. She had even attached a string to the gloves, just like Jackie had to Tony’s mitts so he didn’t lose them.

Rose stopped dead in her tracks.

Ewan was standing at the top of the landing, staring at the Doctor. He looked as if he was unsure of how to react to the stranger in his house.

“Hello,” the Doctor eventually said, wiggling his fingers at him.

It roused Ewan from his stunned silence, and he looked at Rose. The Doctor’s gaze followed the boy’s, and while the boy looked to her for help the man gazed at her dumbly.

“Are you going to stand out here all night?” Rose whispered, shooing them downstairs to the parlour. She didn’t want to wake the girls, whose rooms were upstairs, but she had a feeling that the kids had some kind of radar that allowed them to sense one of their siblings’ distress. She’d seen it happen in the summer, even when the cottages they’d stayed at had been considerably bigger than Dave’s house. “Donna wants to talk to you,” she said, passing the phone to the Doctor.

He skipped down the stairs ahead of her and Ewan, talking so animatedly to Donna that Rose would have been amazed if the bairns didn’t wake.

Ewan stood rooted to the spot for a few moments, and he only moved when Rose draped her arm around his shoulders and steered him downstairs. There was a blanket on the sofa in which he could snuggle up against the cold. She didn’t even consider making him go back to bed.

“He’s not Dad,” Ewan pointed out as they took the last step.

“No. He’s the Doctor. My friend from Over There,” Rose said. “He looks like your Dad.”

“He scared me. Why is he here so late at night?” Ewan asked.

“I’m sorry about that, Ewan. He wasn’t thinking. He doesn’t sleep much, and when he gets excited about something important he needs to share it at once.”

“He broke in!” Ewan insisted, shaking with fear and anger. He had heard him manipulate the lock.

Rose sighed. “Come to the parlour. The Doctor is really nice,” Rose said, deciding not to mention the fact that he might be able to talk to Dave on the phone, just in case the Doctor had already hung up.

The Doctor whirled around when he heard them enter and broke into a wide grin. “Put him back on,” he told Donna. “Yeah, hello. This is the Doctor again. But you don’t want to talk to me. I’ve got someone more important here.” At that, he gestured for Ewan to take the phone.

Ewan accepted the phone reluctantly, still mad at the stranger who looked like his Dad and who’d broken into their house. He was also too baffled to ask who he was going to talk to at this hour. “Hello?”

“Ewan?”

“Dad! Where are you? Rose said you’re sitting on a different twig!” he cried excitedly.

“What? Listen, Ewan. I’m fine. I miss you so and I promise I’ll be back as soon as possible. Are you staying with Rose?”

“Yeah. She’s moved in with us.”

“Be good, aye? Can you do that for me?”

“Aye.”

“I support everything she says. So you listen to her, aye?”

“She said the Doctor’s nice. But he broke into our house!” Ewan protested. “I don’t like him.”

“You don’t have to like him. But he’s the only man who can get me back,” Dave said.

“Where are you?”

“I’m in Glasgow. On the other twig, I suppose. I’m fine. There’s a Donna here and she’s just as nice as our Donna, so don’t worry, eh?”

“I miss you, Dad.”

And then, of course, Lucy and Paul appeared, both scared and awed by the stranger in their parlour who was offering them the chance to talk to their Dad over the phone. At one point, Paul said they had to get Evie too because she’d never forgive them if they didn’t. Rose was reluctant to leave the kids alone with the Doctor — not because she feared for their well-being, but for the Doctor’s. The fact that he had the Phone didn’t matter to them. Lucy looked like she was ready to make him regenerate, and Ewan still hadn’t forgiven him for scaring him. She sent Ewan to get Evie. With Ewan gone, the tension eased a bit.

“Sit down, Doctor,” Rose said, wrapping her arms around herself, conscious, all of a sudden, of her state of dishabille. The children had seen her in her bathing suit; but the Doctor hadn’t, and she felt his eyes on her all the time.

Evie and Ewan arrived in the door just as Paul was finishing and he handed the Phone over to Evie who took the Phone from her oldest brother and chatted to Dave as if it were the most natural thing in the world to do. “I miss you, Dad,” she said eventually. “Bye.” Then she disconnected the call, tapping the red button.

The others looked at her with stunned silence.

“He’s the man from your drawings,” Ewan remembered. “You’ve met him before.”

“I told you I did,” Evie said, annoyed, but also pleased that finally everyone believed her story about the stranger in the street who’d looked after her when she was lost. “Why are you here, Doctor?”

“I’ve come to help bring back your Dad,” he said.

“Why?”

“Well, because it seems we swapped places. He’s with my friend Donna now instead of with you,” the Doctor explained. “And I’d like to go back home just as much as you want your Dad back.”

Evie held out the Phone for him.

“Oh no, you keep it. I can get another one,” he said.

“Wow. Thanks.”

“And who’s this?” he asked, nodding at the doorway where Lottie stood, wrapped in her robe, squinting in the glare of the light.

Evie skipped over to her and wrapped her arms around her thighs. “Lottie. She’s our au pair.”

The Doctor raised his hand and wiggled his fingers at her in greeting. “Anyone else?”

“No. Boy lives at Robin’s now,” Ewan muttered despite himself. He seemed a bit mollified by the fact that the Doctor had looked after Evie when Miss Harper had lost her.

“I suppose you all could do with a cup of hot chocolate before going back to bed?” Lottie said, her voice thick with sleep. Their consumption of hot chocolate had sky-rocketed and they’d better get a family-sized pack next, Rose thought. Then she smiled and shook her head. This was not the time to think about something so mundane.

“I’ll help you,” Lucy offered.

The children flopped onto the sofa facing the one the Doctor had chosen. Since the room was chilly Rose wrapped the blanket over their legs and Evie promptly snuggled up to Ewan, who draped his arm around her. Rose sat on the piano stool.

“This feels a bit like an interview with the secret special branch of the Shadow Proclamation,” the Doctor said, shifting a bit in his seat. Rose was glad they cloud make the Time Lord squirm. Almost.

“What’s that?” Ewan asked.

“Well, it’s like court. Only on a far away planet. It probably doesn’t even exist here. Or it might. I don’t know,” he said.

“So you’re an alien,” Paul said matter-of-factly.

The Doctor’s eyes went wide. “Oh, clever. Yes, I am. Although, you should know, to the rest of the universe you are the aliens.”

“Cool!” Ewan said. But then he remembered being angry at the Doctor. “Even so you should know that you don’t break into people’s houses at night.”

“I didn’t break in!” the Doctor protested. “I _unlocked_ the door. You can check. It’s undamaged.”

“How did you know about Dad?” Evie asked.

“Rose and I are old friends. She travelled with me for a while. She knows about aliens and when I came here, I found her and asked her for help,” he explained.

Rose nodded. “He did.”

“Are you going back with him when Dad’s back?” Ewan asked. ”He’s that special friend. Isn’t he?”

“What?” Evie looked from him to Rose, panicked. “No! Don’t go, Rose!”

Rose’s heart broke. “I won’t, don’t worry, love,” she said. She could see the Doctor slump a little. She only saw it because she knew him so well. Had he really thought she’d drop everything and return to her original universe with him? Of course, he couldn’t have had any idea about the kind of life she had started here. It must be painful to see that there wasn’t really any chance she’d go back with him. 

“Well, I’d better go back to the Priory. You need your rest,” he said.

Rose raised an eyebrow at that. He’d always grumbled a little at her need for sleep. Maybe this was different because they were children. Or Donna had made it unequivocally clear to him that her beauty sleep was non-negotiable.

“Are you coming back, Doctor?” Evie asked. She really liked him, but Rose wasn’t surprised or awed by that. She had trusted him just as fast, and it occurred to her that Evie would make a great companion.

“If Rose lets me? You can always call your Dad, by the way. It’s a SuperPhone,” he said, pointing at the phone in Evie’s hand.

“I’ll think about it,” Rose said just as Lucy entered with a tray of mugs of hot chocolate, followed by Lottie. Rose gratefully picked a mug, unaware until then of how cold she had gotten. The warmth of the ceramic was almost too much, but Rose willed it to spread throughout her body from her hands. She really should have put on her robe.

Lucy stopped in front of the Doctor with three mugs still on the tray. Exchanging glances with Rose, he took one and sat down again. Lucy and Lottie joined him on the sofa, and for a while the room was quiet as they gingerly sipped their drinks.

-:-

Dave sagged against the edge of the cat food shelf, staring at his mobile. He had just talked to Rose and his children, who were impossibly far away. Closing his eyes he tried to remind himself to breathe evenly, rather than gasp in lung-fulls of air; he was feeling a little dizzy. He didn’t want to cause Donna any grief.

“Dave, love, are you all right?” Donna asked. She had put down the shopping basket and touched his shoulder to get his attention.

“Aye,” he nodded. “It’s just... such a shock.”

“Tell me about it,” Donna said. Apparently, she’d had no idea that a phone conversation across the universes was even possible. Hadn’t Rose told him that the last time the Doctor had talked to her he’d burnt up a sun?

“The fabric must be wearing really thin, don’t you think?” he asked.

“Yeah.” Donna looked alarmingly thoughtful. ”Did you tell them about the lack of Void Stuff?”

”No. I forgot.” He ran a hand over his face. “Donna?”

She looked at him.

“What happens if the fabric tears?” He’d already asked Rose, but he wanted Donna’s answer too.

“You don’t want to know. Now. We definitely have to get you a little pick-me-up. Come on, let’s get out of here,” she said. “I could do with one too.”

“What about Rita? Did you see her?”

“No, she must have moved on to some other aisle. Did you want me to go looking for her?” she asked.

“No. No,” he said, smiling. “Give me just a minute, please?”

“Sure,” she said. Then she seemed to remember something. “Actually, can I just go and get something?”

He nodded. “I’ll see you at the checkout,” he said.

Donna squeezed his arm and walked away.

He slid to the floor to sit for a few minutes. His knees had been weak for a while, and he needed to gather both his strength and his wits before he got up and faced the world. Strangely enough, he felt stronger now that he knew the bairns were all right. They missed him, but none of them had sounded really upset over the phone. And he’d spoken to the Doctor. That had been a weird experience, hearing himself speak with an Estuary accent. The Doctor seemed all right — a bit high-strung maybe, but he couldn’t blame him. 

Eventually, he had gathered himself enough to climb to his feet and meet Donna at the checkout. He was studying the sweets on display there when Rita ambushed him.

"How do you know about Lucy?" she asked, drawing herself up to her full height. It wasn't much, but he knew her well enough: she wasn't playing games.

"She's a friend of my, um, daughter's. She had dinner with us a few days ago." Dave hoped that her Lucy was as secretive as his was. He'd been chagrined to find out that he didn't really know any of his daughter's friends. Maybe Lily was a fresh start.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I... life's been a bit mad lately," Rita said, smiling her sweet, apologetic smile.

“Don’t worry. I understand,” Dave mumbled. To his shock he found that her charm was the same, and that he was still susceptible to it.

“You look a bit shaken. Are you all right?” Rita asked. 

Dave smiled and he wanted to wrap his arms around her and weep with joy. He’d missed Rita’s motherly side so much, the way she worried and fretted over her family’s well-being. 

“Aye. I’ve just had a strange yet wonderful conversation on the phone,” he said. It was so easy to trust her. All over again.

“Good news I hope?” she asked.

He shrugged. “I’m not sure yet, but mostly good.”

“You look like you could do with a drink. I have a wee bit of time before I have to... be somewhere,” Rita suggested. She was different. The Rita he knew never would have asked him out. She’d told him she almost didn’t come to their first date. He’d put it down to nerves — he’d been nervous too — but never to the need to protect Lucy.

“I’m... I’m here with a friend and we’re going to have a drink and grab a bite,” he said. “You could join us.”

“Oh, no. Thanks. I wouldn’t want to impose myself,” Rita said. “I just wanted to make sure you’re not alone right now.”

“That’s very kind of you. You wouldn't be. Imposing, that is,” he said. 

Rita smiled and brushed past him to put her basket onto the next free till. Just then Donna returned with an armful of boxes and bags. It appeared that she had either remembered more items she’d nearly forgotten or she just couldn’t resist things. 

Donna caught Rita’s gaze as she looked back at him over her shoulder.

“That is Rita?” she asked.

“Aye,” Dave said, his voice cracking. “I’m sorry I... It’s just a bit much to take in.”

“Yeah,” she said. “Let’s get out of here.” She nudged him to put the basket down, and he watched her in a daze, like a little boy watched his mum pay. He put the colourful boxes and packages in the shopping bag. Unlike a little boy, however, he picked the bags up and carried them outside. Donna held the umbrella over them. He took it from her because she was brushing his head with it.

“We’d better take this back to the TARDIS first,” she said. “There’s a nice pub round the corner.”

When they entered the dry warmth of the pub fifteen minutes later, they shook the raindrops off their coats. The room smelled of food, drinks and wet wool, and it had a cosy darkness about it that was very inviting.

“I’d pick up the drinks but I don’t have any money,” Dave said, digging in the pocket of his jeans. He produced a crumpled up twenty Pound note and a few coins. “Unless this is good here?”

Donna plucked the note from his fingers and inspected it. “Looks good to me, but you really don’t have to buy me a drink.”

“You’ve paid for our food and some of my personal items,” Dave protested. One of the bags he’d carried had contained some toiletries and a packs of hideous, cheap pants and socks. Even if the TARDIS cleaned his things, he needed the psychological comfort of putting on something different. He couldn’t bring himself to go shopping for more clothes however. If he did that, it felt tantamount to assuming that he’d be stuck here for a long time. And that was something he didn’t want to dwell on at all.

“It’s the Doctor’s money, not mine.”

“Then let me buy you one because we’re friends?” he said.

Donna smiled, her eyes softening. “All right then, go on. I’ll have a cider and,” she rose to the balls of her feet to read the daily menu over his shoulder, “the soup of the day.”

He turned to see what it was. Lentil soup. He hadn’t had that in ages, and the fresh crusty bread that went with it sounded just as mouthwatering. “Good idea.” He plucked the note from between her fingers and went to the counter to place their order.

When he returned to Donna she had found them a nice spot by the window in the corner. He placed her drink on the table and sat down across from her, raising his glass in a toast. “To friends.”

They drank deeply.

“So that was your late wife,” Donna said.

“Aye.”

“Tell me about her. If you don’t mind.”

Dave smiled, wiping the condensation off his glass. “Where do I start?” he muttered, more to himself than in search of an answer. “Well, I met her when she came to my studio to have her wee daughter Lucy’s photo taken. She was adorable. Lucy. Rita was just... Stunning. I took more photos than we’d agreed on. It was such a pleasure to work with Lucy. Rita was worried about accepting the extra photos as a gift, but she couldn’t afford to pay for them. So she offered to pay me with a song instead.”

“And you accepted?”

“I’d have accepted a hot meal. But a song? She wrote me a song, and she played it on the piano for me. My mother’s old piano is at the studio, and that’s where she sat down and played the song for me. It was beautiful. She told me it was about me, as I was working,” he said.

Donna had propped her chin on her hand. “That’s very personal. And very romantic.”

“Yeah,” he drawled. “That’s us. Romantics.”

“Was that when you fell in love with her?”

“I suppose so, yes. It’s so hard to pinpoint the exact time, but it must have been then that I knew I wasn’t going to let her go. She just felt right. Perfect.”

“Yeah,” Donna said, turning her gaze inwards briefly. “I thought that happened to me once. Turned out it was just an act to... well, use me as a human petri dish to revive an ancient race of space spiders.”

Dave stared at her. “Tell me that’s not how you met the Doctor.”

Donna shrugged and smiled. Then their soup arrived, and Dave wondered how his life had gone from ordinary and happy to a life filled with alien threats. He loved the excitement and new horizons that Rose had opened up to him and the children, but he could certainly do with less of the feeling of impending doom. How did Donna do it? How did Rose live with it?


	23. Twenty-Two

Twenty-Two

“Can I go to bed?” Paul asked when he’d finished his hot chocolate.

“Of course you can, love,” Rose said, taking the empty mug from him. “It’s very late.”

“I’ll go too,” Ewan said, glancing suspiciously at the Doctor. Rose was about to laugh when she realised how protective Ewan was being.

“It’ll be all right, Ewan,” she said. “I’ll be all right.”

He nodded and stood.

“Can you tell me a story?” a sleepy Evie asked. Rose was sure that she wouldn’t hear much of the story — she was falling asleep on her feet. Also, it was funny how she trusted the Doctor and even asked him to perform the beloved bed-time ritual. Rose had no idea if the Doctor was any good at reading stories. That wasn’t the point, though. Evie missed Dave and she needed the reassurance of his voice.

“Who? Me? I’d be delighted! I’m the best story-teller ever. Better than Sheherazade. Well, almost. Lost a contest to her once. Narrowly. Very narrowly,” the Doctor said enthusiastically. But then he sobered a bit. “Only if Rose says yes, of course.”

“I don’t see why not,” Rose said.

“Well, come on then, Miss Morris,” the Doctor said, standing. Rose had no idea if he was oblivious to the boys’ angry glares or if he chose to ignore them. He offered Evie his arm, but when she looked up at him questioningly, he picked her up and settled her on his hip.

“It’s okay, boys,” Rose mouthed, and they shuffled off after they’d bid her good night. Lottie followed suit, until it was only her and Lucy left.

“Can I ask you something, Rose?” Lucy asked.

“Sure,” she said, although the was more than ready to drop herself. Lucy, however, looked more than a little upset, and she didn’t want her to go back to bed distressed. “May I join you?” she asked, looking pointedly at the blanket Lucy had draped over her legs.

Lucy smiled and held up the material in invitation. Rose slipped beneath it, amazed by the warmth the children had generated. Goosebumps erupted on her skin at the pleasant feeling.

“Do you think I’m useless?” Lucy asked.

“What? No,” Rose said. “Why would I think that?”

“Well. Ewan calls Dad gay when he wants to say he’s useless. Mum told him to use the word useless instead of gay,” Lucy explained.

Rose frowned. She’d heard the adjective used in that contest, and she didn’t approve one bit. Mickey and Jake were anything but useless. They were two of the most wonderful people in the world. She had no idea where this was going. And then the penny dropped. “Do you think you’re useless because you’re gay?”

Lucy nodded, tears spilling down her cheeks.

Rose drew her into her arms. “Oh Lucy,” she sighed. “You’re anything but useless. You’re a wonderful young woman.”

Lucy burrowed into her, crying inconsolably now. Rose just held her, giving her the chance to unburden herself. There were quite a few questions she wanted to ask Lucy. She was still so young and she didn’t want to dismiss Lucy’s distress as a phase teenagers went through. Lucy had gone through a lot in the past months, and finding out that she was attracted to girls must be the last straw.

She wished she knew what Dave thought about homosexuals, and how he’d react if he learned that his daughter was a lesbian. They’d never talked about it because the issue had never come up, but if she knew him at all he’d support and love her no matter what.

“Are you in love with someone?” Rose asked.

“Aye,” Lucy sobbed, pulling back a little.

“You know I love you, Lucy,” Rose said. “You can trust me with anything. If you’re ready to share, that is. I won’t press you.”

“I know,” Lucy sniffled. “Thank you.”

Rose smiled encouragingly. At the same time she was very touched, again, by how much Lucy trusted her.

“I’m in love with Lily,” Lucy said eventually.

“Oh.”

“And she loves me back.”

“That’s wonderful!” Rose said. There was nothing worse than unrequited love, particularly, she imagined, if you figured out that you’re attracted to a member of the same sex.

“It’s horrible!” Lucy protested. “She’ll have to leave when the Doctor finds a way back to his own universe.”

“Oh Lucy,” Rose said, drawing her into her embrace again. “You’re not scared of Dave’s reaction, are you?”

“A little.”

“Don’t be. He loves you. So much.”

“But I Love Lily, Rose! Lily!”

“Oh.” Rose had to admit, to her chagrin, that she hadn’t really listened properly. The news of Lucy being in love with a girl had eclipsed the fact that the girl was Lily. Lucy was in love with a dead girl. But so was Dave. Rose was dead in her original universe. She tended to forget that. “But Lily loves you back.”

Lucy guffawed through her tears. “I’ll lose her, Rose. But I can’t. I love her.”

“You don’t know that,” Rose said, rubbing her arms. “That you’ll lose her, I mean. Did she tell you what happened to her just before she was transported into our universe?”

Lucy shook her head, sniffling. “No, she didn’t.”

Rose sighed. It was obvious Lily had kept that detail to herself, probably not to overwhelm her new friend. She debated telling Lucy, but she decided against it. She’d promised Lily that she wouldn’t tell the children, especially Lucy, the details.

“What was it, Rose? What happened to her?” Lucy asked.

“That’s for Lily to tell you.”

“It was something awful, wasn’t it?”

Rose slipped on a mask. Lucy was very clever, and she knew that if she answered her question she’d end up giving Lily’s secret away.

“Poor Lily.”

Rose smiled compassionately.

“Is there such a thing as love at first sight, Rose?” Lucy asked suddenly.

“It depends who you ask. I certainly believe it happens. It’s happened to me. Twice,” she said.

“The Doctor? And Dad?”

Clever girl. “Yes.”

“But they look the same, so it doesn’t really count.”

Rose laughed. “Yes, it does. You see, the Doctor has the ability to change his body.”

“What? How? Is he a shape shifter?”

“You know your sci-fi well, don’t you? It isn’t like that, however. When the Doctor’s mortally wounded he regenerates,” Rose said.

“And you saw it happen.”

“Yeah. It was terrifying. I didn’t know what was happening, he hadn’t told me about it,” Rose explained. “One moment, he was himself, then he erupted into golden light and when it was gone there was this skinny bloke with wild hair and an impossible gob.”

“Doesn’t sound like Dad at all,” Lucy said. “How can he be the Doctor when he looks all different?”

“He's the same man. Inside, I mean. He has all the memories and keeps most of his personality. It's just his body that changes. It was very weird at first, and I didn't believe him.”

“What did you do?”

“He gave me time to get used to the idea. Besides, there had been a point when I'd thought he was dead,” Rose said.

“Oh my,” Lucy murmured. “But you did get used to the idea?”

“Yeah. See what I mean?” Rose smiled.

Lucy slumped back against the cushions, trying to digest the information. It was a lot to take in. “So, twice it is. You’re lucky.”

“And so are you. I assume it was that way with Lily?” Rose asked.

“Yes,” Lucy beamed. “There was this... instant attraction, although at first I thought she was a bit aloof. But there was something about her that intrigued me. And I really liked her. She’s so beautiful too.”

“That she is,” Rose said, taking her hand. “But listen, Lucy, you’re very pretty too.”

Lucy blushed.

“I’m very happy that you’ve found someone who loves you back. It’s not easy to find someone,” Rose said.

“Thank you, Rose. You’re the best.”

She smiled as Lucy’s words sent a warm, fuzzy feeling to her stomach. Her words meant more to her than she would ever know. But then she broke the mood with a yawn. “I’m sorry, love, but it’s been a long day. Let’s go back to bed.”

“We’d better check on Evie as well,” Lucy said, removing the blanket to stand. “The boys don’t like the Doctor at all.”

“You don’t either,” Rose pointed out.

Lucy exhaled slowly. “Evie and you trust him. He’s earned his spurs, but I... he’ll get there, I suppose.”

“That’s sweet of you to say,” Rose said, standing. “He’s all about giving people second chances.”

Lucy looked at her for a few moment, then ducked her head.

“C’me on,” Rose said, putting her hand at the small of her back.

When they reached the top landing, they were surprised by the quiet. Rose would have expected a fully dramatised reading by the Doctor, but there wasn’t a sound to be heard. Frowning, she pushed the door open. 

The light from the lamp on Evie’s bedside table bathed the room in a warm glow. Evie’s night light was on too, painting a slowly turning underwater world on the sloping ceiling. The Doctor was sat on her bed where Dave used to sit when he read her a story. The book lay open in his lap; he’d nodded off reading. Evie was asleep as well, snuggled up against his side.

“Aw,” Rose whispered. She stepped quietly towards him to take his glasses off and put them on the bedside table where they’d be safe. Whatever had happened to him was clearly taking its toll on his body.

Lucy peeked into the room too, but she hesitated a moment before she smiled. She must have thought the man on Evie’s bed, his long legs stretched out on the duvet and crossed at the ankles, was her father.

 _If only you were Dave,_ Rose thought, touching the Doctor’s shoulder lightly. Then she stepped around the bed and scooped Evie up into her arms. The little girl was so deeply asleep that she didn’t even stir, and Rose suppressed a grunt at her dead weight in her arms. Evie was heavier than she’d expected.

“Come on, let’s leave him,” Rose mouthed, leaving the room. Lucy pulled the door closed behind her. The Doctor would wake in his own time.

Rose carried Evie to Dave’s bed and put her down on the empty side of the bed. It just wouldn’t do for Evie to share her bed with the Doctor, no matter how much she liked him or how much she missed Dave. Rose wondered if Evie realised that Dave and the Doctor were two entirely different men.

“May I hug you?” Lucy whispered, her hand on the doorknob as she watched her tuck Evie in.

“Of course, love,” Rose said. She went to her and drew the girl into her arms. She was a bit taller than her, so Rose kissed her cheek instead of the top of her head. “See you in the morning.”

“Aye, sleep well.”

Rose slid into bed beside Evie, making sure that the covers were pulled up properly over both of them. She lay on her side to look at Dave’s youngest. It was only natural that she should trust and like the Doctor so much, given her history with him. Also, the Doctor was an ersatz-Dad to Evie — he looked like Dave and he could probably read just as well, but Rose was sure there would come a moment when Evie realised that he wasn’t Dave. Rose was terrified of that moment. 

Dave had told her that Evie had taken Rita’s death surprisingly well, and Rose hadn’t had it in her at the time to tell him that small children like Evie often didn’t appreciate their loss until a few months later. As long as her family functioned well, chances were that she’d be able to cope without professional help. But now that Dave was gone, the stakes had been set even higher.

 _God, what am I thinking?_ Rose rolled to lie on her back, an arm thrown over her forehead. She sounded as if she’d already lost Dave. She turned her head and looked at the bedside table, where she had left her engagement ring. Was there a word for a widowed fiancée?

“Stop it, Rose,” she whispered, tears stinging her tired eyes. She reached, clumsy in the dark, for the ring and slipped back onto her finger. She wanted the children to know that she had promised Dave to marry him. It would reassure them as much as her. She would get Dave back, even if it meant getting back on the case. She couldn’t just sit and watch.

-:-

Rose woke with the weight of a child’s body half on top of her, and her first reaction was to bury her nose in her brother’s strawberry-scented mop of hair, liked she so often did. The first two nights or so when he stayed at hers, Tony would at one point crawl into bed with her, just to make sure that having his big sister back wasn’t just a dream.

But then she realised that the child in her arms wasn’t Tony but Evie. Wan light was filtering into the room from behind the curtain as she slowly opened her eyes. Groggily, she raised her wrist to check the time, but it took her a while to focus on her watch. It was gone half eight. The children needed to go to school.

“It’s a bit late for school now,” the Doctor whispered.

“Wha—?” Rose was awake at once. The Doctor was standing, in shirt-sleeves no less, at the foot of her bed, his hair an amazing mess.

“A child in your arms suits you,” he replied.

Rose blinked.

“What are you doing in here? Have you been watching me?”

The Doctor lifted his shoulders; his hands were buried deeply in the pockets of his trousers. 

Carefully, she pulled out from beneath Evie; she didn’t want her to wake. She gestured for the Doctor to follow her downstairs, and she took the thick, knitted cardie he passed her to throw it on over Dave’s shirt. The Doctor followed her downstairs.

Lottie was busy in the kitchen, cooking breakfast. Lucy and the boys were already up, all of them dressed and ready to go to school. “I called Sarah to tell her that Evie doesn’t feel too well today,” Lottie said. “ _Guten Morgen._ ”

“ _Guten Morgen_ ,” Rose replied without even thinking about it. They sometimes had this thing where they’d accidentally slip into German. Occasionally, they used the language on purpose, when they didn’t want the kids to overhear them. It was a dirty trick, of course.

“ _Tee?_ ” the Doctor asked, passing her a mug, sweet and blonde, just like she preferred it. He sounded very different in German. “I thought you might like some. To get going.”

“Thank you.”

He grinned that adorably sheepish smile.

“ _Guten Morgen,_ Rose!” the kids echoed. They had watched the exchange with interest. _Damn you, Doctor,_ Rose thought. Did he have any idea of the damage he did with that simple gesture? By turning up in the wee hours of the night?

“I’ll drop them off at school, don’t worry,” he said.

“You don’t have to do that,” Rose said. She didn’t want to cause a scene, but neither did she want the Doctor to infringe on family life like this. She’d have to accept his offer and talk to him later. “Do you drive?” She’d never seen him drive, except that one time when he’d taken her on a spin on a Vespa, back at the Queen’s Coronation.

The Doctor spluttered. “Course I do!”

Rose looked from Paul to Ewan to Lucy. They looked tired and apologetic. It was good to know that they were as unhappy about the arrangement as she was. She had powerful allies then. 

“I’ll come with you,” she decided, and Ewan slumped a little as he relaxed. “Evie’s asleep in the master bedroom,” she informed Lottie. She went to help the au pair with serving out the cooked breakfast. She was a heaven-sent. The special breakfast on a Wednesday morning would keep everyone civil.

The kids ate quickly. They’d miss registration, but Lottie had already called the schools, so the kids could go directly to their first class of the morning. Then she scampered upstairs to get dressed and to at least brush her teeth and tame her hair.

Rose drove. The tension in the car was close to snapping, so silence reigned and the Doctor squirmed in the passenger seat in discomfort as Rose steered the red Volvo through the Glasgow morning traffic. They dropped Lucy off first and arrived at the boys’ school just in time for them to make it to their respective class rooms.

“Let’s go to the Priory,” Rose said, setting the blinker as she pulled away from the kerb.

“Why? Aren’t you off the case?” the Doctor asked.

“Not any more,” Rose said. “I’ve decided I need to be there when you work out a way to get Dave back.”

“Don’t you trust us?”

“I do. But I need to do something to get him back. I can’t just watch. I’ll be back by the time school’s out,” Rose said, knowing that that was wishful thinking. If they were to make a breakthrough, she wanted to be at the Priory.

“You can’t do that, Rose.”

“Why not?” she stared at him hard as she stopped at a traffic light.

“You might let them down. The children. What if you end up in your original universe as well?” the Doctor argued.

“The Priory is safe. The crossing point is in that alley, and it’s far a way from the Priory.”

“Rose.”

“What?”

“We need to talk.”

Rose guffawed, finding it increasingly hard to concentrate on the traffic. “I’m driving.”

The Doctor shut up at that, and tense silence descended on the car again as Rose negotiated her way to Torchwood. It was funny that the one time he was ready to talk she wasn’t. She hated herself for it. Back in the old days, she’d have jumped at the chance. He opened up so rarely. But this wasn’t the old days, was it? It had taken her a long time to realise this, and she had a feeling that the Doctor was struggling to grasp that concept. He hadn’t even asked her if she’d go with him when he returned to his universe.

Rose pursed her lips and suppressed the tears that were threatening to rise. It happened far too often these days. Luckily, she pulled into the Priory’s gravel drive at that moment.


	24. Twenty-Three

Twenty-Three

At the Priory the Doctor quickly retreated to his room to freshen up. Rose figured that he probably wanted to take a shower, and he was sporting stubble. Rose had only ever seen it after a particularly long adventure with no chance to spend a half hour or so in a bathroom. It was unusual to see him like this. He always looked so dapper, even his hair did at its wildest moments.

“What are you doing here?” Mickey asked when she stepped into the break room overlooking the river to get herself a cup of coffee. The journey to the Priory had been relatively dry, but it was chucking it down again now. There had already been floods all over the country, and Rose wondered when Glasgow would be affected by high water as well. The river seemed to be lapping at the embankment only slightly above its usual water line.

“It’s nice to see you too,” she replied. 

“Did you give the Doctor a lift?” he asked, making it very clear that she wasn’t wanted here. He was the team leader now, and she knew he’d put his foot down again, especially because for her it was too close to home.

“Yeah. And the kids. We overslept. Did you know the Doctor found a way to ring Dave? In the other universe?” she asked.

“Yeah.” Mickey’s nonchalance was infuriating.

“Well, he broke into Dave’s house this morning to show us!” Rose said, the tension rising again as she thought about all that could have happened if the Doctor hadn’t come to find her first. Well, and Ewan being so surprised that he was virtually rooted to the spot.

“Would you have opened if he’d rung the bell? Or knocked on the door?”

Rose blinked. “You knew. Wait. You drove him?”

Mickey shrugged. “You know how he gets. And the circles beneath my eyes don’t have circles beneath them for nothing.”

“Mickey! He scared us all to death!”

Mickey, completely unfazed and still not properly awake, poured himself some coffee and sipped it gingerly. “So, how’s Dave?”

Rose exhaled in exasperation. “How do you think he is? The bad thing is the kids know what’s happened.”

“Did they learn from the Doctor?”

“No. They demanded to know when they sensed there’s something rotten in the state of Denmark,” Rose said.

“Clever bairns,” Mickey commented, drinking deeply. 

Rose slumped into a chair. “It’s uncanny. They have this knack, this ability to tell when something’s wrong with one of the family.”

“That’s good, isn’t it?” Mickey said, standing to get himself a refill. Rose hadn’t even touched her coffee yet. She drank gingerly. It was good. When Tom made the coffee they could usually stand a spoon in it. Still, drinking it felt somehow... not right. She sighed.

“I don’t know,” Rose mused. “I never knew it with Mum.”

Mickey scoffed. “You _always_ know what’s up between the two of you. You just haven’t realised, because the Morrises are a club, whereas you and Jackie are just a duo. It’s always been there, Rose.” Mickey had started to refer to the children and Dave as the Morrises to avoid confusion.

Rose took another sip. Mickey was probably right. “So, how are things going?”

This time it was Mickey who sighed. “Rose, you know I love you. I really do, but I can’t tell you.”

“What if I want back on the case?”

She knew the answer, of course. “Sorry, no can do.”

“Is it all right if I stay here? The Doctor wants to teach me how to control my telepathy,” Rose said.

“Of course you can, love,” Mickey said. “Trust us, yeah?”

“I do.”

Mickey made a wince-y face at that.

“No really, I do. I just feel weird not being able to contribute to the search.”

“You’re looking after the kids. I wouldn’t call that nothing,” Mickey said. “If anything, I find it touching and amazing that they’ve accepted you so quickly. They actually asked you to stay with them, didn’t they?”

“Close enough.”

“See? I think it’s very brave without Dave there.”

Rose hadn’t considered this angle, but before she had a chance to dwell on it, the Doctor joined them, clean-shaven, his wet hair tousled. “Good morning, Mickey,” he said cheerfully. He went to the counter to make himself some tea. The familiarity with which he moved around the place surprised Rose. She almost felt like a stranger, and it had only been three days.

“Are you up to some lessons in telepathy?” Rose asked the Doctor as he leaned against the counter with his hip cocked. This new Doctor puzzled her. He was still the same, but he had changed so much she found it hard to see him for who he was rather than the man from her memories. She really had to tell Dave, when she called him next, that there was nothing for him to be afraid of.

“Yup,” the Doctor replied, popping the p. Rose smiled.

They went to her office once the Doctor's tea was ready. Again, the notion that she was a stranger took hold of her, and she stood, lost in thought, for a moment. She felt out of place here, in the company of the man who had once been the love of her life. But the truth was that she had let him go and another man had taken his place. A man who happened to be the spitting image of the Doctor, but there the similarities ended. She shook off the feeling of being displaced and strode to the French window to open it and let in some cool, earthy air to chase away the stuffiness. When she turned back to the room, her eyes settled on the canvas above the sofa, the gorgeous photo Dave had taken of moss-covered stones by some B-road they’d taken this past summer.

The Doctor’s gaze followed her eyes. “He’s good,” he said.

“He’s shortlisted for the Carlisle Prize, so yes, he’s good,” she replied dryly.

The Doctor looked at her blankly.

“The annual award of the Royal Academy of Art,” she explained.

The Doctor pushed his free hand into his trouser pocket and sipped his tea.

“Rose,” he said.

She fidgeted. She wasn’t sure she was ready to hear what he had to tell her.

“I’m happy for you. That you’ve got a great life. It’s what I’ve always wanted for you,” he said. What remained unspoken was the fact that both of them had thought that great life would have been had with them together in the TARDIS.

Rose drew in a shuddering breath. After all these years he was still unable to say the words, but if she was honest she didn’t want him to say them any more. It would only cause more awkwardness between them. So she settled for a simple, “Thank you.” At the same time she remembered his loss, the loss after her, that had changed him so drastically. But the question remained unspoken too.

“Why don’t you let me see what you’ve already learned?” the Doctor asked, perching on the sofa.

“I need to establish physical contact,” Rose said. “The closer the better. I can usually control myself quite well but there are moments when I find it difficult.”

“When you’re upset.”

 _When we’re making love_ , she wanted to add, but bit her lip. “Yes.”

“Ah,” he said. “I see. Well, that’s very good already.” He grinned at her. “Let’s try something.” He patted the seat beside him. “You’re upset now,” he said, taking her hand to pull her down to him.

“Doctor,” she pleaded.

His eyes went wide as he finally understood, really understood. “Let me show you something.” He took her other hand as well and rested his forehead against hers. “Please, allow me in. I promise I’ll be gentle.”

“I know,” she said. Taking a deep breath, she opened the imaginary doors that helped her keep her distance, and all of a sudden she wanted him to tell her everything, to ask her to go with him, to take her back to the stars, to love her.

“I can’t do that,” he whispered. “It’s too dangerous. The dark is coming. And I don’t know what it is.”

“I’d help,” she said, unable to stop herself. She pulled away from him. What had she done? This was as good as betraying Dave and the children. Her _family_. She knew part of her still wanted to travel in Time and Space, but it was a tiny part, the one that always wanted what she couldn’t have. A large part that threatened to infect the other parts if she let it.

He took her hands and touched his forehead to hers again. “I can’t let you do that. Rose Tyler.”

And then she understood. The way he said her name was a declaration of love in and of itself. She should have known. Names were so much more important to Time Lords. They were everything. It was why they kept their true names secret. She gasped.

“This is why I... can’t tell you my name. I wanted to, but I can’t, not anymore,” he said.

“Oh Doctor.”

He smiled wistfully.

They sat in silence for a while, and Rose didn’t know what to make of it at first. They had rarely shared silence, and he’d usually tinkered with the TARDIS or been reading up on something in the library. She could feel his cool yet warm breath on her face, and his scent of soap and marble halls was all she was able to focus on.

“There’s something else.” He was in her thoughts now, the lesson forgotten. The image of a beautiful young woman, blonde, petite but curvy, with dark blue eyes and a radiant smile showed up in front of their shared vision. Rose frowned. The face seemed somehow familiar. She pulled away and the Doctor let go of her with a startled gasp.

“What?” he managed to say.

“You have a daughter?” she asked. And then she knew as the thoughts and feelings that had come with the image began to sink in. He had been a reluctant father because of the way he’d had her, but then... Oh, the love and the grief. Rose’s heart constricted and she felt tears prick her eyes in sympathy.

“Jenny,” he said, his voice breaking.

“I’m sorry, Doctor,” she said. “I—”

He blinked. “Rose... She seems familiar to you.”

Before Rose could answer, her mobile trilled. From the sound of it, it was Evie. She felt the colour drain from her face. “I’m sorry, Doctor. I have to take this one.”

“Evie?” He perked up in concern. It was amazing, Rose thought, fishing for her mobile in her jean pocket, how close he was to the wee girl.

“Yeah.” She accepted the call. “Evie?”

“No, it’s Lottie. I’m sorry to disturb you, Rose.” Lottie sounded panicky.

“What’s wrong?” Rose reached for the Doctor’s hand, and he closed his fingers tightly around hers.

“Evie has a panic attack. She’s hyperventilating and can’t stop crying. She’s terrified of losing Dave. She asks for you and the Doctor,” Lottie said.

“Tell her I’m on my way,” Rose said, disconnecting the call.

“The poor girl,” the Doctor said, standing. “Come on. I’m driving.”

Rose looked at him. “You’re not coming.”

“What? Why?” she realised then that the Doctor had come to really care for Evie. She wondered if it was because of his own daughter, of the childhood she never had and the memories they’d never made. “We... They need you here. Please, Doctor,” she said.

The Doctor nodded, but when she stood, he reached for her hand to stop her. “Jenny,” he said. “She seems familiar to you.”

Rose’s heart broke. “See? This is why I need to learn to control myself. I’m afraid I don't know why.”

He let go of her and his shoulders slumped in dejection. She debated quickly staying to let him probe her mind to find out why Jenny seemed so familiar to her. His grief was palpable, but there was a five year-old in another part of town who was terrified of losing her father. It was an impossible decision to make, but eventually she gave his shoulder a squeeze.

“Come over tonight, yeah?” she said.

He attempted a smile, and she felt his eyes follow her as she left her office.

-:-

Eventually, Evie had cried herself to sleep, her hiccuping turning into painful sounding sobs that had shaken her body as Rose lay down with her on her bed. Rose had curled up around her as if to protect her, holding her close, inhaling the strawberry scent of her soft hair as she dropped kiss after kiss onto it in between whispered reassurances and promises. Evie, in turn, had curled around Amy, clutching the doll to her.

Lottie had joined them with two mugs of tea, and she’d sat down on the floor facing the bed, her back propped against the toy cupboard. She just sat there, waiting for Evie to fall asleep.

“I’m so sorry, Rose,” she said once Rose gently disentangled herself from Evie and sat up.

“What for? I’m glad you called me.”

“I feel I’ve let you down. I’m sure you have better things to do. At Torchwood.”

For a moment Rose wasn’t sure if she was insulted or touched by Lottie’s statement. “Evie is more important than work. And don’t worry; there isn’t anything you could have done.” It was surprising enough that Evie had accepted Rose alone after she’d asked for the Doctor as well. Rose had thought that Evie would be inconsolable without the Doctor, for the simple reason that he reminded her so much of Dave that she’d calm down. But she had launched herself at Rose and never let go of her until Rose had carried her to her room and lain down on her bed with her.

“I shouldn’t have left her in Dave’s bed by herself,” Rose muttered, accepting the mug. The tea was just the perfect temperature, but still she sipped it gingerly relishing its calming effect. “It’s little wonder that she was afraid I’d abandoned her as well.”

“What are we going to do, Rose? You can’t stay in all the time.”

“We’ll call Dave as soon as Evie wakes and let her talk to him,” Rose said. She didn’t know what else to do. “We could ask Sarah to come over; Evie’s very fond of her.”

“This is such a horrible mess,” Lottie said. “I think I’ll skip class today.”

“On your first day? I cannot allow that. It’s such an important day for you,” Rose said. “I think Evie needs the reassurance of me being around for a while. Besides, Mickey has made it quite clear that I’m not wanted at Torchwood.”

“That must be such a strange feeling,” Lottie said.

“It is, and it hurts, a little, but it’s really for the better,” Rose sighed. She cupped her forehead in her palm. “God, I miss him so much.”

“It’s Wednesday,” Lottie pointed out.

“Is it,” Rose mumbled flatly. Of course she knew it was Davesday, and it was her turn to come up with a treat for them. She’d not made any arrangements because she’d had the idea just before she learned that Dave had gone missing — _no_ , she admonished herself, _crossed to her original universe_. She couldn’t shake the completely ridiculous feeling that she’d let him down by not expecting him back by Wednesday.

“When you call him, make sure you get some private time with him. You’ll need it,” Lottie said.

They sat in silence for a while, Rose looking down at the peacefully sleeping Evie.

“I’ve found three recipes for cake we could make tomorrow,” Lottie said eventually. “I’ve printed and left them on the kitchen table.”

“Thank you, Lottie.”

“Is it okay if I leave the two of you alone now? My bus...”

“Sure, love. Thank you so much,” Rose said, smiling. She drained her mug and gave it to her as Lottie stood to leave.

She took Lottie’s place on the floor, reluctant to leave Evie by herself. She dug the Phone out of her pocket and dialled Dave’s number. Evie was a heavy sleeper and her crying had left her exhausted, no matter how long she’d slept after Rose had left her in the big bed.

Dave picked up after the first ring. Since he had no idea of how fast time passed here he probably assumed that much more time had passed for his family than it had for him. Maybe, Rose thought, they should keep track of it; who knew what it might amount to in the grand scheme of things. It might be totally beside the point or it might make all the difference.

“Aye?”

“Dave,” Rose said, exhaling his name in relief.

“Rose, love, are ye all right?”

She told him what had happened.

“She’s been so brave through all of this,” Dave said just when she wanted to ask if he was still with her because it had taken him some time to reply. “Oh God, and I’m not even there for her.”

“It had to happen sooner or later,” Rose said. “Still, I shouldn’t have left her alone. It’s probably all my fault.”

“No, don’t beat yourself up over it,” Dave said. “I miss you all so much.”

“Is it Wednesday where you are?” Rose asked.

“Aye, only just.”

“I had such a nice idea for today,” Rose said, lowering her voice a notch. “It’s my turn when you come back, yeah?”

“What did ye have in mind, my love?”

“That I can’t tell you, but it includes lots of—”

“Rose?” Evie had woken, despite her attempt to speak quietly. Rose blushed. She really shouldn’t have this conversation in a child’s bedroom. “Rose, is that Dad?”

“Yes, sweetpea. Come and say hello to him,” Rose said, rising and joining Evie on her bed. She passed the Phone over to her.

“Dad!” Evie cried. “Dad, Dad, Dad.”

Rose rubbed her back in soothing circles, then withdrew to give the two of them some privacy. She stepped out into the hall and browsed the books that were shelved two deep in the ubiquitous flat-pack bookcases. She noted that they had been extended, twice, to hold all the family’s reading treasures. The whole house was full to bursting, and Rose wondered if the extension Dave was thinking about would do the job and give them enough space. What if she moved in? She didn’t have that many things, but they were all treasured possessions. And if they had another baby—

Rose closed her eyes and pulled a children’s book off the shelf. That would probably never happen, so it was really a moot point.

And then, out of the blue, a face swam into focus and she could put a name to it. Rose’s eyes went wide. She hadn’t recognised her at first because she was a brunette now, rather than the blonde the Doctor had shown her. Jenny was Jenny Redfern, the teacher Ewan and Paul adored so much. It explained why Rose had sensed that she was a telepath. 

Jenny, the Doctor’s daughter, was here, in this universe. And she was more like him than he’d thought, for she had regenerated after she’d taken the bullet for him. He just never knew.

She dug her own phone out of her pocket and speed-dialled Mickey.


	25. Twenty-Four: The Doctor

Part 4

Come  
Home.  
— George MacDonald,  
 _The Shortest and Sweetest of Songs_

 

The Doctor

Rose’s sudden disappearance left him reeling. He had glimpsed something in her mind that shouldn’t be there. The image of Jenny he carried in his mind and in his hearts was very similar to one of the images he’d glimpsed in Rose’s mind. How was that possible?

He took a deep breath. It certainly wasn’t a feat of trickery or sinister doings. After all, Dave was his doppelgänger in this universe. Many people from his universe had doppelgängers in Pete’s World — many, but not all, as Rose’s example showed. He smiled at the memory of the small Yorkie. There was a perfectly sensible, reasonable explanation for what he had seen in Rose’s mind. The face of the woman Rose knew was Jenny’s, but they were not the same person. His Jenny was dead. Her Jenny was merely his Jenny's doppelgänger.

He closed his eyes and ducked his head.

Hardly a day passed when he didn’t think of his youngest daughter. No matter how he’d had her, she was his, and once Donna had made him see this there was no going back. He was so ashamed for rejecting Jenny initially. She was his — she was no love child, but she was a beloved child. That was all that counted in the end. And he’d lost her far too soon after his hearts had accepted that fact, the universe’s strange way of teaching him a lesson.

Which left him reeling. If he understood the lesson, it was about telling people how he felt about them instead of beating about the bush. He ought to make Donna see that she really was brilliant and the most important woman in the universe — even though he didn’t know why that was. But how was he to convince her after all the damage that Silvia had done? Donna simply wouldn’t believe him, no matter what he said to her, how serious he was.

He also ought to tell Rose he still loved her, that she was the love of his lives. After nearly a millennium, a teenager had managed to win his hearts and hold them in hers. But all he would ever dare tell her was her name. There was some consolation in the fact that Rose had finally understood why he liked to call her Rose Tyler. That didn’t mean, however, that he didn’t need to tell her that he loved her. She needed to hear the actual words. Oh the cruelty of the universe! How could those three little scary, wondrous words be so difficult to say?

And who was the girl in this universe that looked like Jenny?

And how come Rose knew her?

Why did the Universe have to be like that?

He scrubbed his hands violently over his face.

He’d better get down to Torchwood proper to work things out. He needed to get back. Rose needed Dave back, and since the Darkness was coming he felt compelled to be back in his own universe.

Why had he been taken here of all places?

And why had it happened twice?

-:-

”Tell me this,” Mickey said as they stood in front of the wall on which they had assembled all the information on the crack they had been able to find.

Lost in thought as he had been, he had to blink a few times to snap out of it.

”Did you ever go looking for a way back? To Rose?” Mickey asked.

”Mickey,” he began.

”You’ve come here twice before,” Mickey said.

”Mickey,” he began, a little sharper this time. ”It doesn’t work like that. You know I had to burn up a sun just to send her a holographic image.”

”She was beside herself back then,” Mickey pointed out.

”I meant for her to accept the finality of—”

”Only it wasn’t that final, was it? Doctor?”

”The first time we came here was an accident, as I’m sure you recall,” he replied, trying his best to stay calm. He knew that Mickey was right. After Bad Wolf Bay he hadn’t fought to find a way back. For once, he had accepted the inevitability he had claimed everyone must accept. He’d done it to protect Rose, but he’d also done it to protect himself. Hope of finding a way back for Rose would have driven him to do unimaginable things, things he’d regret and be ashamed of for the the rest of his lives. All of them, not just the one he had created for Rose. ”And the second one was a gross violation of the rules of the multiverse.”

”I don’t believe you,” Mickey said, his rage now barely contained. ”Rose nearly killed herself to get back to you. Did you know that? She built a dimension cannon, and the last jump nearly killed her. And now she blames herself for causing the crack. She doesn’t believe your worn-fabric theory. And neither do I.”

”And you are the experts?” the Doctor jeered.

”In this universe, for this rift, yeah, we are,” Mickey said.

Then his words began to sink in.

”She nearly killed herself?”

Mickey snorted, shook his head and went away.

”She nearly killed herself,” the Doctor mumbled to himself, barely able to grasp the idea. It wasn’t as if Rose wouldn’t have given her life to get back to him before. It had surprised him then although he was in love with her; he’d had no idea how much she loved him. And then he’d told her that there was no way back for her — and she still had the strength, imagination and resources to prove him wrong. She loved him that much. Had loved him. She loved someone else now.

And what had he done to get her back?

He had accepted his fate of having far less time with Rose than he’d thought. Just like that. He’d had neither the strength nor the imagination to get her back. Resources, yes, but what good were they if they weren’t put to good use?

Never in his life had the Doctor felt so humbled and ashamed of himself as he did then. Rose had tried to get back to him. He hadn’t even been looking. Would he have noticed the signs if he hadn’t been so blind in his grief and rage?

The point was that Rose had fought for her life, for this life with Dave and four children. She deserved it, and he wanted her to have it back. He’d do anything to give it back to her, it was the least he could do.

”Hello,” Donna said, coming to a halt by his side.

”Oh, hello,” he said. He could tell easily that this Donna was entirely different from his. She was a woman who knew exactly what she wanted and what she could do. He wasn’t sure, however, if she was the happier for it.

”It feels a bit silly to introduce myself. The others have told me that you travel with my counterpart in your universe,” she said. She held out her hand. ”I’m Donna Noble.”

He smiled wistfully and shook her hand.

”I’m looking after Lily.”

”Yeah, thank you. How is she settling in?” he asked.

”All right, I think. She’s very close to Dave’s daughter Lucy.”

He raised an eyebrow.

Donna shrugged.

”That close?” he asked, a cold shiver travelling down his spine. This didn’t bode well. ”Oh dear.”

”Yeah,” Donna drawled in that way she had. ”Is there anything you can do? To keep her here? Without upsetting the balance of the universe or whatever it is that happens?”

”I don’t know,” he replied. ”I’m not sure Lily would have been killed in that air raid if she hadn't been transported here.”

”Is there no way you can find out?”

”I’m afraid not. I’d have to be in my universe, and even then it would be tricky.”

”Can you get Dave back, though?” she asked.

The Doctor felt that Donna deserved an honest reply. ”The way things are going at the moment I’m not so sure.”

”He has to come back,” Donna insisted. ”It would kill Rose and the children if he didn't.”

”Yes, I know what’s at stake, thank you,” he muttered, crossing his arms in front of his chest. ”It’s not like I’d want to be here forever either, you know.”

Donna’s eyes went wide. ”I’m sorry I… well. Never mind. Whatever you need, just ask, yeah? Rose and Dave are my friends.”

Mollified, he nodded. Donna’s fierce loyalty was was fierce, even Over Here. Another wave of shame washed over him.

-:-

Evie reminded him of everything he’d lost.

He had been denied seeing Jenny grow up. She’d stepped, fully grown, out of the Progenation Machine, calling him Dad as if it were the most natural thing in the world (Did the other clones also address their DNA donors as Mum or Dad?). There had been no mother to tell him he was going to be a Dad, no swelling stomach or cries at birth, no fussing bundle in his arms, no first smile of recognition. No skinned knees or bedtime stories, heartaches, or monsters in the closet. Just the uncertainty and the rage of becoming a father at the snap of your fingers, a father to a beautiful daughter who was not enough like him and yet was able to hold a mirror up for him to see who — what — he had become.

And then he’d lost River, his wife in a later life. He’d lost her before he’d been able to get to know her properly, just like he’d lost Jenny. And both women had gladly given up their lives to protect him.

Why? Why did people do that?

What did that make him?

The Doctor scrubbed his hands over his eyes. He was pushing his cycle. It was far too early for that, but he supposed that despite everything his body clock was still confused about the temporal change. He’d never experienced anything like it before. The first two times he’d been Over Here had been too short to remind his body of the change. But now that he was here, he felt tired all the time. Shouldn’t it be the other way round? Time was passing more slowly in his original universe — shouldn’t he be able to push his cycle even harder than usual? The truth was that his body clock hadn’t adapted to time passing faster here. His body was still attuned to his universe, although it had been two weeks Over Here.

He roared in frustration, uncaring, at the moment, if his scream of frustration upset anyone.

”Doctor?”

The voice was Dominic Henley’s, the lower-case doctor’s at Torchwood. The Doctor squeezed his eyes shut to force himself to change his mood, and then he looked up, trying to look open and friendly. ”Yes?”

Dominic held out a phone for him. ”It’s Rose. She needs to talk to you.”

He accepted the phone gingerly. He wasn’t sure he was ready to talk to Rose just now. ”Yeah?”

Dominic didn’t leave to give him some privacy.

”Rose?”

”I know Jenny,” Rose said without preamble.

”What?” He was so surprised that he decided to do without the usual beating-about-the-bush. He had shared his memories of Jenny with her — she was the first one, apart from Martha and Donna, who he’d trusted with the precious few memories he had of his youngest child.

”I know her,” Rose repeated. ”I recognised her when I saw her image in your mind, but I couldn’t tell how. Now I know.”

The Doctor adjusted his grip around the phone. He had to swallow hard to clear his throat. ”She’s here, isn’t she?”

”Yes,” Rose said. ”And she’s not Jenny’s doppelgänger. At least that’s what I think. I think it is her.”

He had lost his ability to speak. Or, rather, to form a coherent thought.

”Doctor?”

”I’m still here.”

”Well?”

”It’s impossible,” he said. ”She died. She died in my arms. She wasn’t enough like me in the end.”

”I know,” Rose replied softly. ”But I can feel it’s her. When I first met her I had that tingle that I only got when I was around you… you know, that tingle that telepaths share. If the Jenny I’ve met were only her doppelgänger I wouldn’t have felt that tingle, would I? Doctor? Am I right? I wouldn’t have felt that tingle?”

Oh dear, sweet Rose. She wanted him to be happy so badly. If possible, he loved her even more at that moment.

”Doctor? Why is the Jenny I know a telepath?”

He closed his eyes. He had to close his heart off to the hope that her Jenny was his Jenny. It was impossible. His daughter was dead. ”I don’t know. I’m not familiar enough with this universe to offer a possible, valid explanation,” he said. It can’t be Jenny.

”Oh.”

”Did you bump into her in the street?”

”No,” she replied. ”She’s Ewan and Paul’s teacher. Her name is Jenny Redfern.”

”What?” he squeaked. ”What did you say her name was?”

”Jenny Redfern.”

The world began to tip and he turned and leaned against the wall for support, adjusting the grip around the phone as it began to slide from between his fingers. It couldn’t be.

Of course it couldn’t. It was a coincidence.

”Doctor? Are you all right?” Rose asked, her voice laced with concern.

”Yeah, yeah, I am,” he said, pinching the base of his nose. ”It’s just… I, or a version of me, was in love with a woman called Redfern. It’s a long story.”

”Oh,” Rose said. ”Would you tell me about her? Not over the phone, obviously.”

”Rose, it’s been a long time. I’m not sure I…” The truth was that he was ashamed for what he had done to Joan, how cavalierly he had chosen her world to shelter and turned her life upside down. What was it with coming to this universe? Was it some weird journey of penance, or a trip to finally face his demons?

”You don’t have to. I just thought you might want to… you know, share it to… get better…” Rose’s voice trailed off. It was clear that she remembered that he wasn’t the kind of man who shared his feelings. Oh Rose. I hope that Dave is more open for your care, that he really deserves you.

”I’m all right,” he said lightly.

”So. I suppose I’ll try to find out why Miss Redfern is a telepath,” she said, recovering and replying with the same affected levity.

”Yeah.”

”Sorry to bother you.”

”How’s Evie?”

”Scared to death.”

”Poor her. I could, you know, if it’s all right… if it helps, well, I would still like to come over tonight and spend some time with her. Read to her. I know I’m not Dave, but maybe I’ll help anyway. What do you reckon?”

”That’s awfully kind of you. You’d have to face Ewan’s music, though. He still doesn’t like you.”

”I can live with that.” Could he, though?

”Come over for dinner then. Lottie’s cooking tonight, and you don’t want to miss that.”

”Why are you doing this, Rose?” he blurted.

”Doing what?”

”Adopting me?”

”You know why.”

”Well, yeah.”

”See you tonight, Doctor.”


	26. Twenty-Five

Twenty-Five

”Tell me about the Dimension Cannon,” the Doctor said, leaning against the counter. Rose looked up from where she was doing the dishes at the sink and gestured for him to pick up the towel to dry the larger pieces of crockery and utensils that didn’t go into the dish washer. To her surprise, he did and started working on the items that were already on the draining board.

Rose was taken aback by his request, and she took the time it took him to recover from the slight surprise at being asked to take on such a domestic chore to figure out what to say. ”Mickey told you everything about the technology, right? It scared me, every single time I tried to jump. I tried not to think too hard about what could happen,” she said, her eyes fixed on her hands and what they were doing.

The Doctor worked in silence punctuated by the clink and soft clatter of dishes, pots and utensils as he neatly stacked them. He looked so different without his jacket and tie, the sleeves of his pale blue shirt rolled up to his elbows. Rose wasn’t sure what to make of this man. He hadn’t regenerated but he didn’t seem quite the same man either. Sure, he had lost her; but that alone couldn’t possibly account for such a monumental change, not in a man who was nearly a millennium of age.

”That’s not what you want to hear, though,” Rose pointed out.

”No. Mickey told me about what really happened when Dave found you.”

”Did he,” she said flatly. ”What else do you want to know then.” It wasn’t a question. As far as she was concerned all was said and done. She finally wanted to put it behind her. The summer had been painful enough. What good could it be to open those old wounds? She still didn’t know why the Dimension Cannon never worked, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to find out now.

”I need to find out why the Dimension Cannon never worked,” the Doctor said, as if he’d heard to her thoughts. He hadn’t been in her mind, however. She’d have sensed it, no matter how gentle or sneaky he tried to be.

”Doctor,” Rose began.

”It might hold the answer to our problem,” he said, reaching for the pot she’d just rinsed to dry it. Rose took it from him and pointedly put it on the draining board.

”Can’t you check that theory in the lab?” she asked.

”No, because you’re not there. I need more than plain, clinical data. I need you. To bounce my ideas off of you. You’re… you always know what to say,” he said, sniffing and making it a point to hang the wet towel up to dry properly.

”It’s not always that easy,” she replied. She couldn’t deny him, however. This wasn’t about finding out why she had failed. It was about finding a way to get Dave back. 

”Oh, but you’re brilliant, Rose! Don’t worry too much, just trust yourself,” he said, brightening up a bit when he realised that she was willing to talk to him about her experience. 

”Y’know, I can’t do that any more. I have the children to worry about now, and Dave. It’s not so simple,” she said. ”It’s trusting myself too much that nearly killed me.”

The Doctor’s lips thinned into a line for a moment, but then he nodded.

”What is it you want to know?” she asked.

”How did you feel when Pete pulled you through the Void?”

She stared at him.

”Physically,” he added. ”Although… you know, if you want to share…”

”I was a bit dizzy,” Rose said.

”Just that? Dizzy?”

”Yes.” What was he getting at? She poured the coffee that had just finished percolating in three mugs. The well-aired kitchen was filled with the scent of the strong dark roast Dave loved so much. 

The Doctor sipped his coffee. ”What about the Dimension Cannon?”

”I was sick the first few times I used it, but then I took some motion sickness pills and tried to control myself,” Rose said. Then she looked at him.

The Doctor grinned. 

”What is it?” she asked. An idea began to form at the back of her head, but she couldn’t be sure what it was yet.

”The Dimension Cannon didn’t work because it it isn’t powerful enough to bridge the Void,” he explained triumphantly. It might have sounded petty if this were all about him proving a point that the Void cannot be crossed, but it wasn’t the point, was it? Rose wondered if he missed that point.

”Doctor, I was in other universes,” she pointed out. ”It is powerful enough. I was on, oh, I don’t know, two dozen or so alternate Earths.”

The mug slipped through the Doctor’s fingers and shattered on the floor, splattering his trousers with hot coffee. He jumped. ”What?”

”I was in different universes. I was always sick when I landed, then after checking to make sure you weren’t there, that it wasn’t the right universe, I was even more sick when I arrived back here. It was painful, Doctor, but eventually I learned to control it.”

Rose could feel his eyes on her as she went about cleaning up the mess at his feet. Lottie chose that moment to join them for coffee. The children were in their rooms packing their bags for the next day. Ewan had been particularly quiet and he’d left gladly; he didn’t hide the fact that he hated the Doctor. He had even watched his little sister with Argus eyes over dinner because she was rather smitten with the stranger, that alien, that looked like their Dad and might take Rose from them.

”Am I interrupting something?” Lottie asked, picking up on the tension in the room.

”Yes.”

”No.”

The Doctor and Rose replied in unison.

”I’ll just get my coffee then; I’ll be in my room if you need… you know, a blue helmet to intervene,” she said, but she was only half-joking. The Doctor passed her a mug of coffee which was behind him on the counter. Lottie took it and left.

”Rude,” Rose muttered, climbing to her feet to dump the cloth into the sink and the shards of the mug into the bin.

”What?” the Doctor asked.

Rose sighed. ”Never mind.”

”You’ve travelled to other universes,” he started to pick up the conversation where they had left it.

”Yeah. But you weren’t there. In fact, there weren’t any Time Lords at all. It seems that your universe is unique in that regard. Then again, I only saw about twenty of them,” she said. The Doctor’s hubris had been hard to deal with sometimes, but at the time she hadn’t been aware of it. It occurred to her that her attempt to get back to him with the Dimension Cannon displayed just as much hubris — but at least she had learned from it. ”Is your universe the only one that has Time Lords? Gallifreyans?” she asked gently.

”No. It used to be your universe too.”

”It isn’t any more. This is my universe now.”

”Tell me,” he said, ”what other universes did you see?”

Rose shrugged. ”Most of them weren’t that different from the ones I know. There were two or three, however, that were really bad. They were war-torn. I didn’t stay long. I just needed to find out if there were any Time Lords.”

He stared at her. ”And how did you do that?”

”I sense them. I suppose it’s Bad Wolf, or my telepathy. I’m not sure,” she said. She was about to go on and tell him that the other telepath, Miss Redfern, still puzzled her, but she was cut short by him. She wondered why he didn’t seem able to sense her. Oh. Or was it about him not wanting to sense her? Why?

”Rose Tyler,” he said, awed.

”Please don’t call me that,” she whispered, turning away from him. She could hear Evie’s light, fast steps on the stairs. 

”Rose —” he began, panic lacing his voice.

”Doctor!” Evie barrelled past Rose and into the kitchen where he was still standing by the sink. She flew into his arms and he lifted her up to sit on his hip. She was far too old for that, and heavy too, but the Doctor indulged her. He loved her — to bits, if that could be said about him.

”Have you finished another picture?” he asked, picking up her right hand to look at her colour-stained fingers.

”Will you come and have a look?” Evie asked with an enthusiastic nod.

”Of course I will. I couldn’t possibly miss a new work by the next Leonardo, could I?”

Evie giggled. So the Doctor had charmed his way into her heart — as if that had been necessary. _Oh Doctor_ , Rose thought, _when will you ever learn?_

They went upstairs, and Rose hurried to finish cleaning up the debris from dinner. There was only little left to do and she was done quickly. Her mind quickly drifted off to find something to occupy itself. Ever since she met the Doctor he had encouraged her to learn and study and better herself. It was something she could not, and did not, want to shake easily. If it hadn’t been for him she wouldn’t be here now; she wouldn’t be the person she was now. She had discussed this with her mother quite often — playing the what-if game. Both agreed that they wouldn’t want anything to have happened differently. The waiting, the hoping, the fearing.

There was a knock on the front door. They weren’t expecting anyone, and even though she knew better, she half hoped it would be Dave, safely returned from her old universe. The Doctor was right, of course; it still was her universe too, but for some reason she didn’t want to admit it to him. Maybe to drive the point home that her home was here now. She wasn’t proud of it.

It was Jenny. She was holding a huge black umbrella, and the rain was pelting off it noisily. ”Hello, Miss Tyler,” she said. ”I’m sorry for disturbing you. I… I should have rung first…”

Rose tensed a little. Jenny had closed herself off to the world. If she didn’t know she was a telepath, Rose wouldn’t have guessed right then. But she recognised the barriers that kept her out. Rose opened herself minutely, just to keep a check on the children and the Doctor. With him in the house it was a bit like having one more child over for a play date. And a sleep-over.

Jenny gave her shaky smile. She seemed determined not to reveal herself. Caution was generally a good idea. Rose remained slightly receptive to signal to her that she had nothing to fear.

”Why don’t you come in?” Rose said, stepping aside to let her enter. She took her dripping umbrella and coat, putting the former in a bucket she’d found in the garage and hanging the latter on a peg next to the children’s. Then she showed Jenny to the lounge and offered her tea.

When they were settled, Rose cut from the small talk to business. ”What can I do for you, Miss Redfern? Is it about the boys?” She suspected — knew — that neither Ewan nor Paul were the reason for her visit.

”No,” Jenny said with a nervous giggle. ”Actually…” She interrupted herself to sip her tea.

Rose opened herself more.

Jenny’s eyes widened a little. ”I don’t mean to insult either of us,” she finally said. ”You’re a telepath.”

Rose sensed her open up and tentatively reach out for her mind. Rose embraced her. ”So I am,” Rose said.

Jenny smiled briefly, the tension leaving her shoulders. But then she frowned. She didn’t let her guard down often. How exhausting that must be.

”You don’t belong here,” Jenny said.

”I do, but I am not from here, if that’s what you’re getting at,” Rose said, trying not to show either her indignation or her surprise. So this was her. She belonged here now. Then she took a leap of faith. ”You don’t belong here either.”

”There’s no hiding from you, is there,” Jenny replied. ”I did some research on you. But there are things I find difficult to understand. Things that puzzle me.”

”I feel I’ve known you. For a long time,” Rose added.

”I can’t say that. But you’re the first telepath I’ve met. And you’re not… a natural, are you? It was a gift…” Her voice trailed off and her face went slack as she seemed to notice something. 

Rose felt it too. Jenny’s guards were completely down now, open and welcoming. Her eyes were wide as she returned her glance to Rose.

”You can sense him, can’t you?” Rose said, deciding to go for broke. It was a snap decision, a sudden inspiration that struck her like a brilliant idea finally making its presence felt, liberating itself from her subconscious. 

”Yes,” she said softly. There was no need to say who _he_ was.

Rose’s heart began to beat hard against her ribcage. 

”He’s here now, isn’t he?” Jenny said. 

Rose nodded. ”He’s upstairs.”

”It’s not Dave, though? Mr Tiler?”

”No. It is the Doctor,” Rose confirmed, her heart constricting. In a flash Jenny sent her her entire history. It was overwhelming at first, but Rose was grateful for her trust and soaked the memories up, stowing them away for inspection later. 

”I met him at the supermarket. Mr Tiler. And I mistook him for Dad,” Jenny offered. The teacher had peeled away and revealed a very lonely young woman. 

”You’ve been here all this time,” Rose pointed out.

”Can I see him? Please?”

”Of course,” Rose said, rising. Jenny followed her up the stairs to Evie’s room. She’d have to take the girl and entertain her to give Jenny and the Doctor space.

The Doctor met them half-way. He had sensed Jenny too, of course. 

”Hello, Dad,” Jenny said. She sounded braver than she was, so she used the very first words she ever said to him again. Rose closed herself off to them.

The Doctor had gone speechless. He just stared at her dumbly, unable to process the fact that his dead daughter was alive and well and in this universe. 

”Jenny,” he finally managed to say. Bounding down the stairs he closed the distance she had kept between them and wrapped his arms around her. He pulled her very close and stooped a little to bury his face in her neck.

Rose smiled and hurried upstairs to give them some privacy.

She had just reached the top landing when Evie met her. ”Where is he?” the girl asked anxiously.

”He has a visitor,” Rose said. Her mind was spinning. It only began to register with her now what Jenny’s appearance meant. The Doctor and Lily weren’t the only ones stranded here. Heaven knew how many other people had been torn from Over There and transported here through the Crack. The idea began to form in Rose’s mind that the Crack was infinitely more complicated than they had expected.

She swept Evie up in her arms so her weight and warmth distracted her from the sudden cold that poured down over her like an icy shower. Despite Jenny’s appearance she feared that Dave was more distant from her now than he’d ever been.

”Rose!?” Evie asked, wrapping her arms around her neck.

”It’s all right, Evie,” Rose said, rubbing the girl’s back in soothing circles — soothing herself rather than her charge.


	27. Twenty-Six

Twenty-Six

Dave adjusted the grip around the handle of the umbrella. This time he had picked up the black one Donna had used; he didn’t feel quite comfortable with the child’s umbrella. He wondered who it might belong to since he hadn’t seen any other signs that there had ever been children on the TARDIS. The rain was beating a steady tattoo on the black material of the umbrella, reminding him of the rainy nights he had spent in a tent as a youth. He slipped his hand into the pocket of his jacket to check if the camera was still there even though he could feel its reassuring weight.

In another world, the white-washed building in front of him was Rose’s home. In this world, he had no idea who owned it, but he was relieved to see that it was in good repair and inhabited. Could it be that it still was in the Innes family’s possession?

He shook his head. Lily’s parents had died, and so had Lily, probably. She’d been an only child. Maybe her father had had siblings?

But what if, upon knocking on the front door, he’d find himself facing an octogenarian Lily? What if she had returned to her universe after all? Was it safe to assume, then, that he would eventually be able to return home as well?

Dave bit the inside of his cheek. He didn’t want to get his hopes up too high.

”What do ye think yer doing?” A very familiar voice challenged him. Dave closed his eyes and adjusted the grip around the handle of his umbrella once more. This couldn’t possibly be Lucy.

He turned and found himself face to face with his daughter. She wasn’t his daughter, not in this universe, but it was definitely Lucy. She was wearing a mac, the hood drawn tightly over her head and tied firmly around her face. The rain was washing over her face but Lucy didn’t even blink. Her lips had that bluish tinge that suggested she was freezing. How long she been out here? Watching him? How long had he been out here?

”I’m… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you, Lucy,” he said. Horrified, he closed his eyes.

Lucy shrank back. ”How do ye know my name?”

His mind was frantically trying to come up with a sound explanation, but all his mouth would do was open and close like a fish’s.

”Right,” Lucy said, reaching inside her mac pocket, ”I’m going to call the police.”

”No! Don’t. Please don’t do that. I’m a friend of your Mum’s. We went to school together and I was going to see her because of the reunion,” he said, the words tumbling out of him before he was aware what was happening. ”My name is Dave Tiler. You must be Lucy. Rita’s daughter.”

All the names seemed to reassure the girl a little, but she still looked tense and her eyes were hard and unforgiving. _Gosh, she’s hard work_ , Dave thought. Was his Lucy the same?

Lucy pulled out her mobile and checked the time; Dave held the umbrella over her. Was it ever going to stop raining?

”It’s just gone four. Mum’s not done for the day. She gives piano lessons,” Lucy said, suddenly a lot more mellow than she’d just been. She seemed to appreciate the bit of dryness Dave’s umbrella provided.

”Oh, well. I think I’ll come back later then. I should have called ahead,” he said. ”Let me walk you to the front door.”

Lucy frowned briefly but nodded eventually, accepting his courteous offer. When she pushed the key into the lock, and Dave was about to leave, the door opened.

”Hello, sweetheart,” Rita said.

For a very brief moment Dave thought she’d addressed him; but Rita had never called him sweetheart. What was he thinking? She’d been talking to Lucy, of course.

”Hi, Mum,” Lucy said, her voice filled with the affection he knew so well. It was the affection she’d only ever shown Rita.

”Dave?” Rita asked.

He pursed his lips before he turned around. ”Aye. Hi, Rita.”

”What are ye doing here?”

”I… um…”

”He’s here about the reunion,” Lucy said. ”You never mentioned it.”

”Oh. That,” Rita said, catching on, thinking on her feet as ever. ”Well, do come in. Can’t have you standing outside in the rain all afternoon, can we?” She stepped aside.

”What about your student?” Dave asked. ”Lucy told me.”

”He cancelled,” she said with a dismissive gesture.

Lucy disappeared to her room upstairs while Rita took him to the kitchen. The layout of this house was very different from Rose’s, and he was appropriately disoriented as he followed Rita to the kitchen. There were walls where there were none at Rose’s, and some walls were missing. Dave was glad for the differences; it wouldn’t have done for him to be overly familiar with the place. 

”School reunion, eh?” she asked, filling the kettle.

”I’m so sorry,” Dave said. ”It was all I could think of at the moment. She was close to calling the police. I’d been standing outside for a while.”

”I noticed. What was that about?”

Dave decided that, as always, the truth was the best policy when dealing with Rita. She knew human nature; she’d be able to tell when he was lying. ”I’m interested in the history of this house. I had no idea it was yours until Lucy turned up.”

”You don’t know where your daughter’s friends live?”

”Well, you know what girls her age are like,” he said.

Rita laughed. ”Aye. So, what makes my home so interesting?”

”I came across it when I did some research on the Clydebank Blitz,” he explained, smiling nervously. When he saw Rita frown, he quickly added, ”It’s a long story.”

”Well, I’m going to put the kettle on and I might be able to help you. With some of the questions you have,” she said, smiling at him. It was that sweet, insecure smile that had drawn him in when they’d first met. He was tempted to close his eyes to shut out the image — he had to let go of Rita.

”I… I probably should get going. Would it be all right if I took a few photos, though? Just the outside?”

Rita looked puzzled. ”You can take shots of the rooms as well. It’s not really as tidy as I’d like it to be, but…”

”Oh, it’s tidier than… my place,” Dave reassured her. It was obvious that only Rita and Lucy lived here. Their… his home had been cluttered since she’d moved in with him, and then the three wee ones had come along to add to the chaos.

”Well, I… I wouldn’t…” he said. It was her home. He didn’t want to impose himself. And who knew how much the place had changed since Lily had lived here. ”I should be going, thank you.”

”Oh, right. Well, feel free to come back. I’ll try to find out more about the Inneses.”

”Who?”

”The Inneses. They’re… a local tragedy. Everyone knew their story, and my grandmother passed the story on to me. She lived across the street,” Rita said. She went to the sink to fill the kettle.

”What happened?” Dave asked, sitting heavily on one of the tall stools by the breakfast bar.

”Well, the doctor and his wife were killed in an air raid down in London. Their daughter, Lily, was killed a few months later, also in a blast. She’d been visiting a friend from school for the weekend. Her parents had evacuated her to a place near Aberfoyle,” Rita explained. 

Dave did a double take when Rita mentioned the Doctor. But then he remembered that Lily’s father had been a real doctor, a lower-case one. ”Did they… find her body?” he asked. He _had_ to ask, even if that meant risking a reaction from Rita.

Again, she frowned briefly. ”No. It must have been horrible not to have a body to bury. Or to make sure that... well... she had really died. My grandmother was a warden in the area, so she knew. It was tough for her too,” Rita said. ”It’s unimaginable, isn’t it?”

Dave’s voice cracked so all he could do was nod.

”Surely you want to know why I live here now rather than at my grandmother’s place across the street,” she said, switching the kettle on.

”Actually, I’m more confused about your grandmother being a warden in Clydebank rather than here,” Dave blurted.

Rita laughed. ”That’s easy. When granny decided to join up she did it to fill in for a friend from Clydebank who’d fallen pregnant,” she explained.

”Oh,” Dave said, watching her move around the kitchen to prepare tea.

”Granny and Mrs Innes, Victoria, were close friends, so granny saved up the money to buy the house even though it had sat empty for many years and was in disrepair. She gave it to me,” Rita explained.

”Um… do you… is your grandmother still alive?”

”No,” Rita sighed. ”She passed away two years ago. She left both properties to me.”

Dave lowered his head so she didn’t catch him staring. Somehow he had the idea that Rita hadn’t been adopted in this universe, but it was too delicate a question to ask. She just didn’t know him well enough, and he kept reminding himself of that fact unless he became too familiar with her. 

The kettle clicked off and Rita filled the tea pot with some hot water to warm it, emptied it and then filled the pot with leaves and poured more hot water on them. Dave had the idea that this was a ritual Rita did to honour her grandmother’s memory.

Rita Morris was an entirely different woman in this universe, but she was enough like his Rita to remind him of who it was he had lost. She poured the tea and gave him a cup. ”Here you are…”

”Oh. Oh! I’m sorry, how rude of me. Dave Tiler,” he said. ”I hope you can forgive me.”

Rita laughed. ”So, whose dad are you? I’m not sure we have met at school,” she asked.

Dave went cold inside. He didn’t exist in this universe, and consequently none of his children did. The idea made his heart constrict. ”Actually, no. I haven’t been around much. My wife and I… we got divorced a long time ago and I did some travelling. I’m a photographer.”

”Hence the interest in Victoria’s house,” Rita said. Thankfully, she seemed to have forgotten about Lucy’s friend.

”Yes, I… empty buildings fascinate me.”

She chuckled. ”You’ve come to the wrong place.”

”Aye, I saw.”

They sipped their tea.

”Would I have seen anything by Dave Tiler?” she asked eventually.

”No, no, I’m… I’m just about to put together an exhibition,” he said.

”Let me guess… empty buildings?”

He laughed. Rita was just as amazing here as his Rita had been. But she wasn’t _his_ Rita, was she? ”Aye.”

”I’m sorry I can’t help you with that. You’re about twenty years late,” she said.

He swallowed. He wished he had travelled farther back in Time. Things were becoming complicated.

”I really should get going. I’m sorry for taking up so much of your time.”

”Don’t worry, my student cancelled his lesson so I have a little extra time. And I can think of worse ways of spending it,” she teased.

”Oh?” 

Was he falling for her? Again?

_David Michael Tiler! Get a grip on yourself._

He picked up the dainty china cup from the saucer. This wasn’t his Rita. The hot tea burned its way down his throat and settled in his stomach in a tight knot of painful heat.

”I must go,” he said. 

Rita nodded in disappointment. 

Was that how parallel universes worked? You found your way to the people you loved in your own universe? Was that what soul mates were about? Then why did he have two? Rita and Rose?

Dave shook his head to clear his mind.

”If there’s anything else you like to know about the house, feel free to call me,” Rita said. She quickly went to a drawer, pulled out a note and wrote down her phone number. She gave it to him and he accepted it in a daze.

”Thank you.”

”It’s been nice talking to you, Dave. I hope… well, I didn’t remind you too much of that other woman,,” she said.

”Aye,” was all he was able to say.

Then he fled Lily’s home.

-:-

Donna listened to him intently when he told her about his conversation with Rita.

”You do love Rose. Don’t you?” she asked. There was a dangerous flash in her eyes, a protectiveness for a woman she didn’t even know that shook Dave to the core. What had he been thinking?

”Aye. Yes. I do,” he said, the words feeling like a rehearsal of the vow he had promised to make to Rose.

Donna sighed. ”Be careful, Dave. I don’t want you — any of you — to be hurt.”

”Neither do I,” he said, sighing. ”It’s just I never got a chance to say goodbye to Rita properly. The day she died… well, it was a mad rush in the morning, as always, and I… I didn’t even kiss her to wish her good luck with her exam.”

Donna rubbed his arm. ”Oh dear. I know what you mean. But think of this: will it be the same to say goodbye to Rita here?”

He closed his eyes and leaned back in the sofa. ”No. I don’t suppose so.”

”Oh, Dave,” Donna said, then lapsed into silence. The fire crackled in the grate and the flickering light made her hair glow like it was on fire.

-:-

When the Phone rang it was way past midnight. Dave had fallen asleep on the sofa in the library again. He hadn’t even tried to sleep in the bed in his room. Donna had draped a blanket over him and the fire in the grate had died down somewhat. He fumbled clumsily for the chirping Phone in his pocket.

”Aye,” he said, his voice gravelly.

”Dad?”

”Hi, Evie,” he said, becoming fully awake. ”How are you, sweetheart?”

”I miss you, Dad. When are you coming home?”

His heart broke. ”I don’t know, Evie.We’re all trying very hard.”

”I like the Doctor, but he can’t read as well as you. And he doesn’t know how to do my hair, or how to hug me,” Evie complained.

Dave scrubbed his left hand over his face. ”The Doctor is at home?”

”Yes, when he isn’t at the Priory with Rose.”

Dave felt a pang — a stab, really — of jealousy deep in his chest. So Rose and the Doctor were playing house while he beat himself up over chatting to the Rita in this universe?

”Is she in now?” he asked.

”Aye, she gave me the Phone so I don’t keep asking her to call you,” she said.

”Pass me on to her, will you, sweetheart?”

”But I want to talk to you!” she insisted.

”Tell her to give the Phone back to you when we’re finished, okay?”

” _Indianerehrenwort_?”

”What?”

”Lottie taught me. It means… it’s an extra special promise you’re telling the truth.”

”I am,” he said solemnly. It seemed to work.

There was some rustling as Evie passed the Phone on to Rose.

”Rose, my love,” he breathed. ”How are you?”

”I am like the bairns. I miss you. Terribly,” she said. ”What time is it at yours?”

He looked at his watch. ”Gone midnight.”

”Oh, I’m sorry. It’s… we have no way of knowing…”

”What day is it?” he asked. ”At home?”

”It’s Thursday night,” she said.

Dave tried not to groan. It was his birthday on Saturday. His dad was coming, and the children loved birthday parties. How horrible it would be if they had to celebrate his birthday, his first birthday without Rita — but also his first birthday with Rose — without him. 

”I have something to tell you,” he said, sitting up. 

”Oh? What’s that?”

”Actually, it’s several things. How are you getting on with the bairns?”

”Very well,” she said. ”They’re very brave. Ewan hates the Doctor. Evie’s having a bit of a hard time.”

Dave could sense that she was holding back something, and while he was concerned about what it might be, he also understood her reasons for not telling him. He’d only fret over whatever it was, unable as he was to do anything while he was stuck in the Doctor’s ship. ”Just tell me they are all right.”

”They are all right, Dave. They really are. We made a cake today.”

He smiled. ”Baking is an excellent way to keep them occupied,” he said. ”I’m sure it’s delicious.”

”It _was_ delicious. They ate it all. Well, they and the Doctor.”

”Is he… living there?” The question was weird, but it was late and his feelings were in a tight knot. Rose would understand.

”In a way. Evie… she had a panic attack yesterday and she only calmed down when the Doctor came. He’s her hero. For the moment. She’s beginning to realise that he’s not you,” she said. ”I hope you’ll be back before she hates him as much as Ewan does.”

”Do I want to know why Ewan hates him?”

”It’s nothing major, Dave, don’t worry. It’s a long story.”

”Are Paul and Lucy all right?” 

”Yeah, they are.” 

Again, he had the feeling that she was keeping something from him. He wasn’t sure if his frustration and his imagination would behave themselves for much longer. ”But?”

”Paul seems to find comfort in his faith, and Lucy… she’s got Lily.”

”Ah. That’s good.”

”Yeah.”

”I found out something about Lily today,” he said. He told Rose the story about the Inneses’ home.

”How awful,” Rose said. 

”Rose? Does it mean Lily has to go back and die?” Dave asked. 

”I don’t know, Dave. I hope it doesn’t.”

”So do I. You know who’s living in the Inneses’ home?”

”Tell me.” Rose sounded wary.

”It’s Rita.”

”Oh.”

”Now I know how you must be feeling about me and the Doctor. It’s… mind-boggling. I had to keep reminding myself she isn’t _my_ Rita,” he said.

”But it was good to see her,” Rose concluded. She sounded relieved that he finally began to understand.

”Aye.” He couldn’t lie to her. 

”Good. I’m glad.”

”You are?”

”Yeah. It feels good to be able to say goodbye. I have the same with the Doctor now.”

”Aren’t you… you know… don’t you wish you could go back?”

”No,” she replied without hesitating. ”I have a brilliant life with you now. I don’t think I could go back to travelling in the TARDIS, wonderful though the memories are. I miss it, but… I don’t think I can do it any more. I don’t have only myself to think of now. And the Doctor has someone else. His daughter turned up today.”

”Who?” Rose had never mentioned any of the Doctor’s children. So far he had assumed that the Doctor wasn’t a father, which was ridiculous for a man the Doctor’s age. Rose told him about Miss Redfern.

”She’s been teaching the children? How long has she been here… there… for then? God, this is a bit mind-boggling,” he said, running his hand over his face.

Rose laughed. It was a good sound to hear. He smiled too. ”She’s been here long enough to find a job. She’s Sarah’s lodger, by the way.”

”What?” This was getting more and more fantastic by the minute. ”Have any other people from Over Here turned up?”

”They don’t tell me anything, Dave,” Rose reminded him. 

”Rose. I’m sorry.” 

”No, it’s okay. Just… be careful, yeah? With Rita?”

”I promise,” he said. ”Oh, there’s something else I need to tell you. About that Void Stuff. I haven’t got it.”

”How do you mean?” she asked.

”It’s supposed to cling to you after you’ve travelled through the Void, right? It clings to you, it’s… well. Donna tried to show me with 3D goggles, the old-fashioned paper ones, with blue and red foil for glasses. There’s none. There is no Void Stuff.”

”What?” Rose’s voice sounded faint.

”Rose?” asked Dave in alarm.

”Rose?” echoed the Doctor in alarm. 

”Dave, this is the Doctor. Tell me what you have told her,” the other man said. His tone didn’t allow for questions or arguments, so Dave did as he was told. ”Doctor? Is Rose all right?”

”Yeah, she’s fine. Just… surprised. As am I. Good work, you two! I knew you were brilliant. Give Donna a hug from me, and tell her to return the gesture. I’m off, things to do. Bye!”

The Doctor rang off.

Dave stared at the Phone.

Evie would be furious.


	28. Twenty-Seven

Twenty-Seven

Evie was livid. She cried and screamed unintelligible words at the Doctor before the noise stopped abruptly. Rose frowned and went into the lounge. The Doctor did not understand her fury at all, and he seemed more than a little taken aback at her strong reaction. Evie was the one who’d seemed to love him without question, but he began to realise that her patience and affection did not come unconditionally. He looked a little helplessly at Rose. 

”You go back to Torchwood,” she said. ”I’ll take over damage control.”

”Thank you, Rose.” He was very relieved because it was quite clear that Evie had terrified and stumped him. He’d faced Cybermen and Daleks but nothing, as far as Rose could tell, had affected him as much as Evie’s sudden anger.

”Where’s Jenny?” she asked.

”She went to get something from her place,” the Doctor said. ”Rose, I think we might have found something.”

Rose looked at him long and hard. He was excited but he was oddly calm as well. She had never seen him like this before, and she wasn’t sure it was a good sign. Eventually, she took his hand, squeezed it and smiled. ”Go,” she said, hurrying up the stairs. She had Evie to look after, much as she itched to go and solve a mystery.

Evie had disappeared to her room in what had sounded like a herd of Evie-shaped elephants stomping up the steps. Rose knocked gently on her door. When no answer came, Rose pushed it open. The room was only lit by the soft night light casting an underwater landscape on the slanted ceiling and walls. Evie lay curled up on her bed with her back to the door, clutching Amy to herself. Her little body was shaking as she sobbed.

”Evie?”

”I want Dad,” she managed to say between hiccups. Rose was surprised that she got an immediate response. Thus encouraged, Rose sat down on the edge of her bed. ”I know, sweetpea,” she said, rubbing the girl’s back.

”Why can’t he come back?” she asked, rolling over. 

”If only I knew, Evie.”

”What happens if he doesn’t come back? Will we have to go and live in an orphanage?” she asked, still hiccuping. Flustered, Rose plucked a few tissues from the box on her bedside table and helped Evie blow her nose. The girl sat up and submitted to her care.

Evie had voiced the one horrible thought Rose had been suppressing. She didn’t want to think about what would happen. She’d probably build a wall around her heart for fear of having it broken again. She knew from the Doctor’s example that it wasn’t the cleverest thing to do but she just couldn’t imagine falling in love again. The children would be without either of their parents, except Lucy who’d always have Stuart. Anna and Robin, who couldn’t have children of their own, would take them in, of that she was sure. 

”No, that won’t happen. There’s Beattie and Anna an—”

”Please don’t make us stay at Anna’s!” Evie said.

”But I thought you liked her?” Rose asked.

”Yes,” Evie said, drawing the vowel out. ”But she doesn’t understand us.”

”Well, that leaves Beattie then,” Rose said, mildly surprised.

”Can’t we stay with you, Rose? I want to stay with you.”

 _What?_ She couldn’t possibly… well, of course she would, without a moment’s doubt, but they hardly knew each other. Was it possible to adopt your late fiancé’s children when there were relatives willing to care for them? Would Robin contest that decision? To Rose breaking up the family was not an option, particularly not after they’d lost both their parents in rapid succession. Also, she had become an important person in their life as well, and they’d lose her too. But really, she shouldn’t be surprised. Dave had already put her name down as next of kin at the schools, and he had authorised the teachers to discuss the children with her.

”You’ve given this some thought, have you?” she said carefully, trying to gather her thoughts. The fact that Evie wanted to stay with her broke, as well as warmed, her heart. The trust Evie had in her was overwhelming.

”Paul started it,” Evie said.

So the children had apparently discussed this at great length. Rose was so amazed that all she could do was draw her into her arms. ”Did he? We’ll see about that, yeah?” They sat like this for a while until Evie pulled away from Rose. 

”Can I talk to Dad?”

Rose wanted to say that it was late where Dave was, but she didn’t have it in her and Dave would want to talk to his children no matter what time it was. ”Of course,” she said, fishing the Phone out of her pocket and making the call. When the sound indicated the connection was being established she passed it to Evie.

”Dad?” Evie asked as if she were afraid he wasn’t there. Rose’s heart broke again. She’d have to discuss the eventuality the kids had brought up with Dave. She didn’t like it one bit, but she saw the wisdom behind their worries and she wanted to be able to give them real answers when the topic came up next. Also, she needed to know what he thought about it so she could talk to Beattie, Anna and Robin to make arrangements. Not that they’d need them. _Please._

Rose left the room to give Evie and Dave some privacy. She went downstairs where the other bairns were waiting for her in the lounge. Lucy looked as if she were on the war path too. Rose sighed.

”Okay, what’s up?” she asked, sitting down on the sofa facing them.

”The Doctor is,” Lucy began. ”And Miss Redfern.”

”If I promise to be honest and explain everything to you, will you promise to listen to me? To trust me?” Rose asked, having taken a deep breath.

The children didn’t even exchange glances before they nodded as one.

”Miss Redfern is like me and the Doctor,” Rose began. Then she retold the story, this time to a attentively listening audience. Ewan’s and Paul’s expressions changed from disbelief to amazement and admiration over the course of the story; Lucy was able to school her expression in one of mere curiosity.

”She’s his daughter?” Ewan asked.

”Are you her mum?” Lucy asked. They all stared at her. ”What? With Time Lords you never know. They could grow up quite quickly, couldn’t they?”

Rose nodded after a moment’s deliberation. She couldn’t simply dismiss the idea. Would a child of hers and the Doctor’s grow up so very quickly? What was it like to have a Time Lord baby? Were Humans and Time Lords compatible enough? She’d never given that any thought. She’d been too caught up in enjoying her time with the Doctor. Not that she hadn’t, on more than one occasion, dreamed of what it would be like to be lovers, but she’d never gone beyond that. Then she snapped back to the present. ”No, I’m not her Mum.”

”Are you sure?” Ewan pressed. Paul looked at his younger brother, scandalised.

”Yes, Ewan, I am. Believe me, I’d remember having a baby.”

”What if your memory —” he began.

”Ewan, shut it,” Lucy snapped.

”So. It’s been a good night for the Doctor. He has his daughter back — and Dave gave him some important news. The Doctor was very excited about finding answers to all our questions, and soon,” Rose said, trying to keep her cheerfulness in check. She didn’t need to be a telepath to tell that there was more serious business on the children’s minds.

”We don’t want him here,” Paul continued. ”The Doctor. We know what he’s done for Evie, and we know he’s trying very hard to get Dad back. The news is great and we really appreciate that. But seeing him and knowing he’s not Dad… it’s just…”

”Oh, I see,” Rose said. 

”We won’t allow Lily to go back with them,” Paul continued as if they were negotiating a peace treaty. Now Rose was really surprised.

”We want her to stay because we like her and because Lucy loves her,” he said.

”You’ve discussed this?” Rose asked, looking at Lucy in surprise. She hadn’t expected her to talk about something so private to her younger siblings.

”We’ve discussed a lot of things,” Lucy said, squaring her chin.

”Look, I’m on your side, yeah?” Rose said to let them know she was willing to talk about everything seriously with them. ”I can understand that the Doctor’s presence is a problem for you. But I also want you to know that he is a very good friend of mine.”

”Do you still love him then?” Lucy asked.

Rose closed her eyes. ”I do, but I love him like you love your best friend. That’s who he has become.”

It was obvious that the boys didn’t believe her. Exchanging glances with Lucy, Rose held up her left hand to show them her ring. She hated herself for telling them without Dave, but she feared that without that token the kids would never believe her. If they were to get through this, they needed to trust each other. ”Dave asked me to marry him.”

Ewan gasped and Paul just looked at her.

”We meant to tell you, but then things happened.”

Lucy nodded emphatically.

”You knew about this?” Ewan asked, his lip curling.

”I did, but I promised Rose not to tell anyone. I found out by accident,” Lucy said.

”What about Mum?” Ewan asked.

”We want to wait with the wedding,” Rose said, ”until we’re all ready for it. That includes you. When I marry Dave I get not only him but a whole family. You.”

The bairns looked at each other, clearly surprised by the turn the conversation had taken. They clearly hadn’t expected to be treated like adults. Or to have a bomb such as this dropped on them. 

”That’s another thing we meant to discuss,” Lucy said. ”What happens if Dad doesn’t come back?”

”That’s what Evie wanted to know,” she replied carefully.

”Did she ask you? If you… want us?”

”Of course I do.”

”Even without Dad?”

”Even without Dad,” Rose said firmly. The children seemed to be satisfied with her answer, and she was glad they didn’t make her promise. ”But we won’t let it get that far, hmm? And that’s why we need the Doctor.”

There was a time and a place to tell them that Anna, Robin, Beattie and Stuart might have their own ideas on that matter, but now wasn’t certainly it. 

They grumbled a little but seemed to understand that they would have to put up with the Doctor. ”He isn’t all that bad, is he?” Rose asked.

”No,” Evie said, standing in the door. ”Dad wants to talk to you, Ewan.” She held out the Phone for her brother. He jumped up and disappeared with it into the kitchen.

”Are you feeling better?” Lucy asked, holding her arms out for Evie. The little girl promptly clambered onto her lap for a cuddle.

”I know you’re all afraid that Dave won’t come back. But the Doctor is very good at getting people back. When I travelled with him we always found our way back, from situations much worse than this,” Rose assured them. ”And we always had a celebratory hug.”

Evie frowned.

”They hugged because they’d won,” Lucy explained.

”Oh!” Evie asked and then she wanted to know, ”Can you tell us?” and Paul asked, ”Why is it taking so long then?” all at the same time.

Rose laughed. Their curiosity was encouraging. ”We don’t know where to look. But it seems Dave and Donna — there’s a Donna over there, so he’s not all alone — found out something very important today,” she said.

”Really?” Evie asked.

”Really. That’s why the Doctor left so quickly and didn’t return the Phone to you.”

”Oh,” Evie said.

”Don’t worry. He was so excited he forgot his manners. He does that,” Rose said.

”Aye,” grumbled Ewan, who had returned and held out the Phone for Paul.

Everyone laughed.

”So, you want to hear a story?” Rose asked. ”Let’s find Lottie and make some hot chocolate and then I’ll tell you about my travels with the Doctor, okay?”

They nodded enthusiastically.

”Rose?” Lucy asked as the other bustled out of the room in search of Lottie and some hot chocolate. 

”Yes, love?”

”Thank you. For doing this for us.”

-:-

After Dave had talked to the children on the phone he sat staring at the fireplace. He wanted to cry, he was bursting with tears, but for some strange reason they wouldn’t come. All of the kids were very brave, but he had sensed that they were close to breaking. Maybe Rose was right to tell them that they were getting married. He’d have wanted to tell the bairns alongside her, and he’d been gutted at Ewan’s excited report, but he had to admit that the news took their minds off things. Like what was going to happen if he was unable to return. He needed to make arrangements, record a message with his will — he’d be dead to his original universe, just like Rose was to hers. He wanted to make sure that the kids were well-taken care of.

Apparently, they’d had several ideas of their own on that matter. Each of them had been happy to tell him that Rose had promised to look after them if he didn’t return. Hearing the words had filled him with relief but also with horror. Did that mean that they had given up on him? Or was it just their imagination running wild and Rose trying to rein them in by agreeing to their plan?

He’d spoken to Rose only very briefly; they’d agreed to talk later, when the bairns were in bed and they wouldn’t be disturbed. Hopefully.

He missed her so. He also felt horrible for coming so close to falling in love with Rita all over again. When he’d told Rose that he really understood her he’d meant it, including the bit about Rita being two different people and that Rose fell for him because of who he was rather than who he looked like. The Rita in this universe was different from his Rita. He couldn’t put his finger on it but he had a feeling that there was something in this universe that Rita hadn’t had to go through and which made her more open.

”You don’t even know her!” he mumbled, curling his fingers in frustration. Did he really have these feelings for Rita or was it all wishful thinking because he missed her so? Saying goodbye to her just wasn’t going to be the same as speaking to his Rita. He had to face it — he had messed up that morning and now he’d have to live with it. At least he’d made love to her that last night with her in their bed.

It wasn’t their bed any more.

The tears finally came and he cried until his phone rang again.

”Aye,” he croaked.

”I’m sorry, Dave. Did I wake you?” It was Rose. Of course. Who else would it be?

”I must have fallen asleep,” he mumbled, rubbing the sleep from his face. He glanced at his watch. It was four in the morning.

”Would you like me to call back later?” Rose asked.

”No! No, please, don’t. I miss you,” he said. ”Besides, we’ll never know when later is for me, right?”

”I don’t suppose so, no. It’s Friday morning. I meant to call you last night but we fell asleep in the lounge. I told them some stories. They really needed some cuddling and family-time,” Rose said.

A host of thoughts shot through Dave’s mind. His dad was going to arrive later today. The children needed to feel safe and loved, and Evie was close to really grieving for her mother. The Doctor was such a strange presence in their life, one they didn’t want there. Poor Rose. ”How are you holding up?” he asked eventually, sitting up.

”I miss you,” Rose said. ”I’m learning what it’s going to be like to be a mum.”

”And?”

”And do I like it?”

His heart was speeding up. ”Aye.”

”I don’t know what to say, Dave. I love the bairns, but I don’t think… please don’t misunderstand me… I don’t think I’m a mum to them. Not now, anyway. It’s been so weird, with the Illness and the holidays and now this…”

”I see.”

”Really?”

”Aye. I think I do. I’m sorry. I should have stopped when I had that strange feeling about the alley, but it was like it was sucking me in,” Dave said.

”Yeah, Lily described it that way. And I think so has Jenny,” Rose said.

”Jenny?”

Rose hesitated. ”Miss Redfern.”

” _The_ Miss Redfern? _Our_ Miss Redfern?” Dave asked, blinking. A memory started its journey up to his conscious mind, but it wasn’t close enough yet to recognise it.

”Yes, the very same. She’s the Doctor’s daughter.”

Dave opened and closed his mouth several times in rapid succession. The memory bubbled to the surface and bobbed there. ”I met her.”

”I know,” Rose said. ”She told me.”

There it was again, that stupid fear that she’d enter his mind without his consent. He knew that Rose would never do anything like it, not if she could help it, but he also knew that she wasn’t fully in control of this skill. ”Can I ask you something?”

”Anything, my love.”

”Has the Doctor given you lessons? On telepathy?”

Rose laughed. ”Yes, we’ve been practising. He says I’m making good progress.”

”Good. That’s… good.”

”Dave. I’d never use it without asking permission first, yeah? You know that? It’s just unethical.”

”Of course I do. It’s just… It’ll take me a while to get used to that idea,” he admitted. It was ridiculous that he could accept everything else about her old life so easily, fantastic though it was. Telepathy was in an entirely different league, though. So much harm could be done. But he trusted Rose to use the skill wisely. 

He decided to change the topic. ”Have you tested everyone for Void Stuff?”

”Dave. I’m off the case,” Rose said, her frustration audible over the phone. 

”Sometimes I wish you weren't,” he said softly.


	29. Twenty-Eight

Twenty-Eight

"You look like hell, Dave," Donna said bluntly, but not uncaringly, when she joined him in the library, carrying a breakfast-laden tray. The food, although the same meal they'd eaten for the last few days, looked revolting for some reason. Dave felt his stomach drop.

"Don't you dare faint on me," Donna admonished him when she saw his reaction. She picked up the tray and deposited it just outside the door, bringing back her mug of tea. Dave sent her a grateful glance.

"What's wrong, Dave?" she asked, making herself comfortable in her chair. "Apart from the obvious. You haven't had bad news, have you?" Her voice was laced with sudden alarm.

He sighed and told her about the adoption plans.

"You are kidding me," Donna breathed. "Have you given up already? Well, you can't do that."

The worry in the pit of his stomach uncoiled itself into a long, thick rope of anger. "This isn't about giving up. It's about the bairns, about protecting them. We had never given any thought to the possibility, and we weren’t ready. I'm not allowing that a second time. If something were to happen to me I'd want to know my children are well taken care of. That they can stay with someone they love, and who loves them!" His voice was caught somewhere between uncharacteristically thunderous and cracking by the time he finished.

Silence hung between them, and Donna brushed it away by sipping her tea.

"Of course. I'm sorry," she said. 

"I think I might be sick," Dave said.

Donna passed him her mug. "Get something in your stomach. It'll help."

Miraculously, it did. The wooziness disappear, but the idea that had been forming in his mind remained, though, and he was scared of its implications. He felt the bile rise in his throat. "I think I need the bathroom."

The journey to the bathroom seemed absurdly short in hindsight. His stomach contracted painfully as he bent over the toilet, but he felt some relief after. He half-expected Donna to come after him, but she spared him the embarrassment. His reflection in the bathroom mirror was pale, and he looked tired and old. Still, he met his eyes in a relentless stare, willing the man in the mirror to pull himself together. He rinsed his mouth and returned to the library, picking up the tray on his way. He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to eat anything but he didn’t want Donna to go hungry just because his own appetite had deserted him. The coffee didn’t taste quite right, but Donna was right. He needed something warm inside him.

“Last June we thought we’d lose Paul,” he said, sitting down on the sofa.

Donna leaned forward with her elbows on her knees, encouraging him to talk, apparently unfazed by his little breakdown. So he continued, “Aliens were involved. It was an accident. It was also how I found out that Rose is with Torchwood. I wanted to blame her so much.”

“Did you?”

“No. Yes. It was an accident and she did everything to save my son’s life,” he said, unsure of what he was getting at.

“It’s kind of the same now, isn’t it?” Donna said.

“Another big accident you mean. I’m sick of them. I’ve had enough of them,” Dave said angrily.

“You got the chance to help Lily. And you met this universe’s Rita,” Donna pointed out.

“And this universe’s Donna,” he added, reaching out to wrap his fingers around her forearm. “And I’m glad for all of it.”

“The universe acts funny sometimes. But it does so for a reason, Dave. That’s what travelling with the Doctor has taught me.”

“Does it also aim for poetic justice?” he asked wryly.

“It aims for balance, for equilibrium,” Donna said.

“Which is why I’m here and the Doctor’s there,” Dave concluded.

“Yeah.”

“What about Lily?”

Donna smiled, shaking her head. “I don’t know. We’ll see.”

Dave gave her arm a squeeze and leaned back, adjusting the cushions a little as he did so. If the universe was so intent on balance, then why was it possible to hop from one universe to the other? Why couldn’t he hop back? What was the point? 

“I think I’d like to go to Hillingdon Drive,” he said. He hoped that his mother’s house, its solid stone presence, would help him calm. So far he had been so consumed by the idea of seeing Rita again and of finding out about Lily that he hadn’t wondered about his mother’s house.

“Is that where you live?” Donna asked.

He nodded, finishing his coffee. He grimaced at the taste of the cold beverage.

“Would you mind if I came with you?”

“I’d hoped you’d ask.”

They took the Tube and walked the rest of the way. He hadn’t travelled that way in a long time, and he was glad they did because it gave him the opportunity to take note of the differences between the universes. They didn’t speak unless it was absolutely necessary, and at one point he said he wanted to drop by the address of the studio on their way back. The rain had turned into a steady drizzle, and for the first time it occurred to him that the green of the trees and shrubs seemed extraordinarily lush.

He walked a little faster as he turned onto Hillingdon Drive, his heart speeding up as well. Reminding himself that he might find nothing at all, that the house had never been built, he curled his fingers into a fist in his jacket pocket. The house would be there, of that he was sure. Apart from some small details, the street looked the same as his. 

He stopped just outside the gravel driveway, sucking in the air. The house sat there almost unchanged, but there was a tiled path that ran alongside the drive to the garage, and instead of the steps leading from the garage to the front door there was a ramp.

“Murray!”

Dave’s mouth went dry and he felt oddly weightless. He remembered that voice. It had been many years since he’d last heard it, but he’d always recognise the mellow lilt and the warmth that infused his father’s name. “Mum?” Dave whispered.

He felt Donna’s hand on his arm.

His mother’s voice had been muffled, and when he registered movement in the garage he saw a woman removing a wheelchair from the car and sliding into it with practised ease. She reached into the car again and removed a laptop bag which she placed onto her lap. Then she wheeled herself out of the garage and towards the ramp without noticing them.

“Murray, darling, I’m home!” she called again.

“That’s Mum,” Dave said in disbelief. She was alive, and she was in a wheelchair. And Dad was here, he was actually _here_. Dave found it hard to breathe as the implications of what he had just witnessed began to set something in motion in his mind.

“So I’d gathered,” Donna said mildly.

“She’s alive.”

“Oh.”

“Aye.”

That was when _Mum_ saw them. She turned around swiftly and wheeled herself towards them. “Oh dear,” Donna said. “Dave, remember she’s not your mother, yeah? She’s just like Rita.”

Dave nodded, only half aware of Donna’s words. She was right, of course, but this was his Mum. She looked older, of course, but she hadn’t changed that much. She was still the beautiful woman in the photos he kept in a box beneath his bed and on the mantelpiece in the lounge. Her brown hair was longer and arranged in a knot at the back of her head, and there were a few lines in her face that weren’t there in the photos.

“Can I help you?” she asked as she approached them. 

Dave didn’t know what to say apart from her name which kept repeating itself in his mind, ready to drop onto his lips and spill out into the slightly chill air. He removed his fist from the pocket, uncurling his fingers.

“We were just admiring the layout of your garden,” Donna said, slipping her hand into the crook of Dave’s elbow. “My husband is in search of some inspiration. I’m sorry if we’ve disturbed you, Mrs Tiler.”

“Ouch,” Dave whispered at Donna’s slip of the tongue. But it helped, waking him from his thoughts. 

Mum frowned briefly, but then he noticed the five blue and yellow tiles spelling the residents’ name which adorned the garden wall. They were a souvenir from their holiday in Portugal, only when he’d been there with her she had decided against buying them.

“Would you like to come in and have a closer look?” Mum — no, Mrs Tiler — asked. She looked from Donna to him and Dave felt his knees go weak. Mrs Tiler frowned again briefly as she scrutinised him, unaware of her laptop bag sliding off her knees. Dave caught it before it hit the ground.

“Oh, look how clumsy I am,” Mrs Tiler said, smiling in the way she would when she was embarrassed. “You must forgive me, you look a lot like my husband when he was your age.”

Dave smiled nervously, returning the bag to her. What could he possibly say to her that wouldn’t make a terrible mess?

“He’s lost his voice,” Donna said, patting his arm with her free hand.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Mrs Tiler said, sounding a bit thoughtful and a bit sad.

Just then, another movement caught Dave’s attention and he saw his father hurrying down the path to join them. He looked exactly the same. “Agnes, there you are. I’m sorry, love, I had to finish something,” he said. He bent to kiss his wife’s cheek, and, straightening, he noticed them. He furrowed his brow as he tried to place them. Dave held his breath. How was that possible? Then he decided he was just seeing things. “Oh, hello. Have we met?”

“This is my husband, Murray,” Mrs Tiler said. “These is…”

“Donna Noble. We were just… passing and stopped to admire your garden,” Donna said. Dave was still too stunned to speak, and he was glad for Donna thinking on her feet and coming up with his lost voice. He didn’t trust himself not so something fundamentally stupid.

“Oh, it’s nothing much,” Murray said. “The rain’s been wreaking havoc on it.” His smile faltered as he looked from Donna to Dave. “Doctor?”

-:-

“Pancakes, anyone?” Murray asked more cheerfully than he felt when he joined the family at the kitchen table. Even Evie looked doubtfully at him from where she was sitting on the bench.

“They’re Dad’s favourite,” Evie pointed out.

“Aye. It’s why I made them,” Murray replied. “I always make pancakes for him on his birthday.”

“But he isn’t here, is he,” Ewan grumbled. If Evie were to draw a picture of him at that moment, Rose was sure she would add very dark clouds above his head.

“We’ll put some aside for him so he can have them when he’s back, right?” Murray replied.

“What if he’s not coming back, though, eh?” Ewan cried, hitting the table as he jumped off his chair. “What if he doesn’t come back?” he asked quietly in the ensuing silence, looking from one to the other as they sat gathered around the table.

Again, silence settled over them. Rose didn’t know what to tell them, how to reassure them that everything would be fine. It was getting increasingly difficult to convince herself that there would be a happy ending to this adventure, and the fact that the children, who had so easily trusted the Doctor, had lost faith in him, worried her. When they had told Murray what had happened one of his first questions was why she wasn’t on the case any more. As much as she wanted to be here with the children, she was beginning to wonder if she would be more useful at the Priory with the Doctor. Truth be told, she was afraid of what the answer implied; that she wasn’t a good enough ersatz-Mum, that she couldn’t deal with the children’s individual needs after all. 

She whipped her napkin off her lap and stood. “I can’t do this any more,” she said.

A dozen eyes rested on her, shocked, quizzical, hopeful, terrified, panicked and relieved. “I’m going to go to the Priory. Who’d like to come with me?”

The children exchanged glances. “We’ll stay here with grandpa,” Lucy decided. “That way we won’t get in your hair. But please keep us updated, yeah?”

Because she was sitting closest to her, Rose dropped a kiss on top of her head for her to pass on to everyone else. “Okay. I love you. All of you,” she said, looking around the table, including Lottie and Murray.

“Right, then, love, off you pop,” Dave’s dad told her.

“We’ll save some pancakes for Dad. And for you,” Evie promised, reaching for the plate with the golden discs.

Rose laughed. The spirit had turned from very bad to very good in the matter of a few seconds just because she had finally made a decision. Maybe she should have made it a lot earlier to save everyone a lot of worry and heartbreak. Her sense of duty and her loyalty had almost turned into something very destructive. Why she hadn’t “wandered off” earlier was beyond her — she’d done it often enough when she’d travelled with the Doctor. The change must have come about when she’d started working in a team, rather than just with the Doctor as a partner.

Just as she turned to leave, Evie jumped off seat. “Can I have a kiss and a cuddle?”

Rose dropped to her knees so she could hold the little girl properly. It was amazing that she let her go so easily after she’d been so clingy the past couple of days. She was sleeping in her bed now, and Paul in Evie’s as he’d given his up to his grandfather. “I love you, Rose,” she whispered, then she let go of her. Before Rose knew what was happening, all the other children joined her on the floor for cuddles.

“Rose?” Murray asked. He was seeing her out, and he reached into the pocket of his Barbour jacket and pulled out a black notebook. “You might need this. I’ve been meaning to discuss it with you, but I think you’ll see what I mean when you go through it.”

“What is this?”

“We’ve picked up some readings at the Observatory,” he explained hastily. “Strange ones. Probably just white noise from space. But… you’ll see. Promise me to read it, aye?”

“Does it have something to do with Dave and the Doctor?” Rose asked, her heart beating faster. She’d been feeling lightheaded already, but Murray’s book added to her excitement.

“I don’t know. If anyone knows, it’s you folks at Torchwood, eh?”

Rose nodded, slipping the book into the pocket of her coat.

“Bring my son back safely, aye?”

“Aye,” Rose said. Then Murray kissed her cheek and Rose stepped out into the drizzle. Her tiny Italian import sat on the drive. She fumbled for her mobile so she could call in and let her team know she was on her way in. Strangely enough, Mickey didn’t put up a fight. She wasn’t sure whether to be worried or glad about that fact.

“What have you got, Rose?” the Doctor asked when she entered the console room. The chapter room had become their main ops room, but Rose and Mickey kept referring to it as the console room because of the single column supporting the vaulted ceiling in the centre of the circular room. The banks of computers and equipment were arranged around it so anyone in the room could easily survey a large number of displays. It was perfect.

Rose gave him Murray’s notebook as she shrugged out of her coat.

“How are the kids coping? It’s Dave’s birthday, isn’t it?” Jenny asked, stepping close to the Doctor to have a look at the pages he was flipping through. 

“They sent me,” Rose said. “Dave’s Dad and Lottie are with them, but I think I’ll have to pop back for a bit in the afternoon when the rest of the clan descends upon the house.”

“They don’t know?” the Doctor asked, looking up from his reading.

“No. If you’d met Anna you’d know why,” Rose said, deciding not to waste precious time with long-winded explanations.

“Ah.”

“Enlighten me. What have you come up with?” she asked

“Well, apparently the quicksand effect isn’t anyone’s fault,” the Doctor explained.

“Quicksand effect?” Rose asked.

“It works like quicksand,” Jenny explained. “The ground, or rather, the environment, looks perfectly normal, apart from the small fact that it isn’t. You take one step too far and you’re sucked into the other universe.”

“Why?”

“Sometimes, parallel universes end up in the same space. Weak spots serve as portals that makes moving between the universes possible. Only you can’t control it. You’re sucked into, or swallowed whole by the other universe,” the Doctor explained.

“So the Dimension Cannon…”

“… Is only partly responsible. It accelerated a process that was already in motion,” the Doctor finished her sentence.

“The Dimension Cannon and the Vortex Manipulator,” Jenny corrected. “It’s how I was travelling when I ended up in the alley.”

“What’s a Vortex Manipulator?” asked Dominic, who joined them with coffee from Tony's.

“TARDIS minus the comfort of a box for protection a traveller could wish for,” the Doctor replied.

Rose’s mind was whirling. If Jenny managed to end up here by less sophisticated means than the Dimension Cannon, then why hadn’t she succeeded in getting back to her own universe?

“DNA coding,” the Doctor replied. “For the Dimension Cannon to work, it needs to have the correct DNA code. Or, better still, the base code of the universe. But only I know that.”

“So the Dimension Cannon would never have worked?” Rose asked. She tried to ignore the fact that the Doctor had either read her mind. Or did he still know her well enough to anticipate her next question? She accepted the paper cup from Dominic and took a fortifying sip.

“It would have eventually, but the Void Stuff interferes with the codes,“ he said. “But I think you would have figured it out sooner or later.”

“So you and Dave and Lily—“

“We’re here by chance, not by design.”

“Can you get him back?”

“We were very close to a solution. Let’s see what the notebook says. Whose is it anyway?” he asked.

“Murray’s. He’s Dave’s dad. He’s an astronomer, and he picked up some strange readings,” Rose explained. 

“Good man, Murray. Potentially.”

Rose rolled her eyes.

“I’m sure the missing link is in his notes,” Jenny said. The Doctor beamed at her proudly, just like Rose had seen Dave look at his children. She felt a twinge in her abdomen, and a wave of sadness rolled over her as she thought she’d never be able to feel that kind of pride and love for anyone.


	30. Twenty-Nine

Twenty-Nine

Dave felt the urge to turn on the spot and flee to the TARDIS, ironically the home of the man he had just been taken to be. It was all right that Rose had first mistaken him for her former lover; it still hurt that the idea that the Doctor had saved her life after the accident had helped her through her dazed moments in hospital. It was not all right that his parents did not recognise him. He wanted to curl up in a tight ball of misery with a locked door between him and the rest of the world.

A stab of pain shot up his arm and filled the icy cavern around his heart with fire. He looked at the point where the pain originated, and saw that it was Donna keeping him grounded by digging her fingers into his flesh, through the protective layer of leather. “Donna,” he said softly.

She let go, but anchored him with a warning glance.

“My name’s Dave Tiler. I’m a photographer,” he introduced himself, straightening a little as he spoke. “The Doctor isn’t available at the moment.”

“Oh,” Agnes said. “I could have sworn…”

“Aye. I know,” Dave said. “I’m really not him. I’m perfectly human.” He added the last bit for good measure, to signal to these people that he knew who they were mistaking him for. 

“You know the Doctor?” Murray asked. Dave found it oddly easy to separate this man from his Dad. He had a harder time not to seeing his Mum in Agnes. His memory of her had faded long ago, something that upset him a lot, and which he feared his children would have to go through as well. Seeing this woman brought all those memories back.

“I travel with him,” Donna replied. “And Dave… he…”

“We’ve talked on the phone,” he explained quickly. He had no idea what he could tell these people even though they clearly knew who the Doctor was. 

Agnes shifted a little in her chair. “We ought to take this inside, discuss it over a cuppa.”

“Aye. Please do come inside,” Murray said, putting a hand on his wife’s shoulder.

Donna and Dave exchanged a quick glance and followed the Tilers inside. Dave tried not to catalogue all the ways the house differed from his own. It _had_ to be different, even different from his childhood memories. The layout of the ground floor seemed the same, but the lounge was evidently that of a childless couple and much more consistent in its decor than his had ever been. What threw him, however, was the photograph of a wee boy he spotted on the mantelpiece. It was a photo of him, when he was nine or ten years old. He averted his eyes quickly even though the urge to look more closely was almost overpoweringly strong.

What had happened to the boy?

“We’ve been trying to get in touch,” Agnes explained while Murray was in the kitchen preparing the tea. She scrutinised Dave, frowning a little. Dave willed her not to say anything about the fact they shared a last name. Tiler was a reasonably common name to pass off as coincidence.

“We?” Donna asked.

“Torchwood Two. Murray and I run the Glasgow office, together with Archibald O’Connell. Jack Harkness of Torchwood Cardiff is nowhere to be found,” Agnes explained.

Dave wondered what to tell them. If they were Torchwood they would understand about parallel universes. But hadn’t Rose mentioned something about Torchwood in her universe being a questionable institution? Wasn’t it thanks to Torchwood London that she had ended up in his universe?

Murray returned with the tea, the china tinkling softly as he moved to place the tray on the coffee table by the sofa. Agnes gestured for them to sit, and Dave and Donna watched as Murray poured the tea and passed each of them a hot cup. The steam curling up from it reminded Dave of how cold the drizzle had been. He needed to be careful not to burn his tongue.

“Are you familiar with parallel universes at all?” Murray asked.

Donna and Dave exchanged glances again; they didn’t need to speak to wait and see where the Tilers were taking the conversation. “I’ve come across the concept,” Donna replied. 

“We believe that the current atmospheric disturbances —” Agnes began.

“The constant rain; the many aurorae. And other phenomena in space the general public isn’t aware of,” Murray cut in.

“Such as?” Dave asked.

“Well, that’s really how we noticed something wasn’t quite right,” Murray said. “There were suddenly more stars in the sky than normal.”

“But those would be visible to the general public, wouldn’t they? If it stopped raining and the sky cleared,” Dave argued.

“Not necessarily,” Agnes said. “They’d flicker in and out of existence. As if someone somewhere were flipping a switch on and off again.”

“Ah,” Donna said.

“So they'd be there one minute and gone the next? Within the blink of an eye?” Dave asked. He had a hard time concentrating on what the Tilers were telling them. The photo on the mantelpiece drew him like a man in the rain to shelter.

“It doesn’t always work that quickly, but essentially, yes,” Agnes said. She was looking hard at him. Dave felt like a bad little boy again; he knew that glance only too well. His Mum had always been able to see through him. 

“You didn’t just pass here by chance, did you?” Agnes said, placing her cup carefully onto the saucer. The sound rolled through the room like thunder. “Travelling with the Doctor and all that. You don’t travel with him, do you, Dave?”

Dave decided to go for broke. It had always worked best. If Agnes was anything like his Mum, absolute honesty would work with her too. “No, I don't, but I am travelling. I am from the universe next door. From the one whose constellations you can see when they bleed through,” he said.

Donna looked at him aghast, and Agnes mirrored her expression. Murray, on the other hand, absorbed the information nonchalantly. “How do you know it’s the same universe?” he asked, leaning forward with a hand on one knee and an elbow on the other. 

“I don’t. I just have a feeling.”

Murray straightened and rubbed his hands together. “Let’s find out.” As he stood to get his computer Dave’s gaze wandered to the photograph on the mantelpiece again, and this time Agnes called him on it.

“That is our son,” she said softly, turning her chair around to fetch it. Dave took it when she held it out to him.

“It was taken on the last day of school when he was nine. The summer you went to Portugal. On holiday,” Dave said. The memory of that day was very clear because his parents had given him his first walkman for his first plane journey. That, and a pad of sketching paper and a box of coloured pencils. They had always given him paper and coloured pencils before they went on holiday although he had a huge box of them in his room.

“Yes,” Agnes said, wide-eyed as she made the connection. “You —” She interrupted herself when the creaking steps heralded Murray’s return. “Not a word to Murray. It’d break his heart.”

Dave nodded and returned the photo to Agnes, who put it facedown on her lap and covered it with a sheaf of papers from the settee.

“Here we go,” Murray said. Donna rushed to push aside the tea tray to make room for the laptop. Dave joined them on the settee; when Murray asked his wife is she wanted to have look as well she waved him off, saying that she knew the footage well enough. They shared a smile and a wink. Dave blinked. Were they flirting with each other? Out of the corner of his eye he saw Agnes returning the photo to the mantelpiece when she was sure Murray wasn’t looking.

The screen came alive with a picture of the sky at night. Murray hit the play button and red sheets and strings of light appeared in the dark, much like a brush dipped into a glass of water and releasing the pigments off the hairs. It was a stunningly beautiful aurora borealis, just like the ones they’d seen in the summer. The light shifted and undulated as if the water were stirred, but unlike watercolour it never dissolved, turning the water murky.

“Beautiful. We saw quite a few aurorae in the summer,” Dave said.

Donna nodded, lost in thought. He got the idea that Donna hadn’t seen the aurorae, probably because she and the Doctor had been away from Earth.

“They are the result of solar wind or geomagnetic storms. Highly unusual during the summer months,” Agnes explained.

“Oh.”

“Here, this is what I wanted to show you,” Murray said, closing the video app and drawing up photos of the night sky. The constellations seemed the same at first, but upon further scrutiny, Dave noticed that some of the constellations his Dad had shown him were missing, and that there were others he wasn’t familiar with. “This is this universe’s sky at night. Perfectly normal.”

Dave nodded for him to go ahead.

Murray moved his fingers across the touchpad; the night sky turned white and the stars black as another picture was laid over it, also white sky and black stars. The new constellations were the ones Dave was familiar with. “It’s my universe. As far as I can tell,” he said, leaning closer towards the screen so he could look for the landmarks his father had taught him to look out for. “Could you remove this universe’s sky, please?”

Murray obliged him with a few commands on the keyboard. The night sky turned inky again, and there was no doubt. It was the sky of his youth, the sky he had spent his childhood studying with his Dad. 

“So that is home?” Murray asked.

Dave exchanged a quick glance with Agnes before he nodded. Her jaw went slightly slack when she understood what Dave was telling her. “Aye,” he said, looking at Murray.

Murray leaned back into the cushions, stroking his chin. “Blimey.”

Donna laughed.

“The Doctor and his daughter are working on a way to get us all back to where we belong,” Dave said. “He’s in my universe now. I'm pretty sure they have an idea of what’s going on, but Rose — she’s my fiancée, Rose, she works for Torchwood too — she’s off the case because of me. She doesn’t know what they’re working on.” Dave finished his tea.

“Can’t you just call him? You did say you were in touch over the phone, didn’t you,” Agnes asked.

“So far I've only been able to receive calls,” Dave said, “but I could give it a try.” He shifted to fish the phone out of his pocket and drew up the contacts menu where he quickly found Rose’s number. At first he thought the call was connecting, but then the system recognised that something was wrong with his phone and the call was cut off. “We’ll just have to wait for her to call me,” Dave sighed, returning the phone to his pocket. Either it was taking the Doctor longer to enable his phone to reach between the universes or he’d given up working on it because they were so close to a solution that it wouldn’t be necessary. He hoped it was the latter. 

“How did you get here?” Murray asked.

Dave told them about the alley and the TARDIS, about the nausea he’d experienced, and the lack of Void Stuff.

“Why — and how — can two alternate universes be in the same place?” Donna wondered.

“I’m not sure how it works, but I don’t think it’s a natural phenomenon,” Agnes replied. “If it were, we’d have experienced similar effects before. But we’ve done extensive research, and we haven’t found anything.”

“Do you think someone did it on purpose? But why?” Donna asked.

“We don’t know,” Murray said. He sighed. “We also don’t know how to fix it. That’s why we’ve tried to contact the Doctor.”

“How do you contact the Doctor?” Dave asked. “He did something to Rose’s phone; but you don’t have one, do you?”

“I suppose you just have to be at the right place at the right time,” Donna said. “If it’s weird enough, if it’s an alien threat, he’ll be there. Happened to me. Twice.”

“Twice?” Agnes repeated, awed.

“Yeah. Once I was about to be fed to a giant space spider at Christmas, and the other time I was investigating Adipose Industries,” Donna told them.

“Fat,” Agnes said in a strange mixture of disgust and affection.

“Fat?” Dave asked, frowning.

“I’ll tell you later, yeah?” Donna said. “It’s a long story.”

“So,” Murray said, “what do we do now?”

Agnes checked the time on her elegant gold watch. Even in this universe she had the watch, a gift from her grandmother. “What about lunch?”

Agnes had always been good at throwing a wonderful meal together, even when she claimed the fridge was empty. They ate in the dining room — you couldn’t call it anything else. It was elegant and yet homey, the complete opposite of the chaos that was his own kitchen. He felt less awkward here, though, than at Stuart’s posh house. 

“This is delicious,” Donna said, turning her fork in the spaghetti which came in a light sauce of mushrooms and shrimp.

Dave ate more wistfully than his friend. Agnes’ cooking tasted just like his mother’s the salad dressing especially. He’d never thought to enjoy one of her meals again, so he ate slowly, thoughtfully. Agnes looked at him, and the tension became unbearable. He was glad when the meal was over and he volunteered to do the dishes with Murray.

As they stood at the sink, Dave waiting for the wet dishes to be passed to him, Murray said, “You have his eyes, you know. That’s why she keeps staring at you. She doesn’t mean to upset you.”

Dave didn’t know what to say.

“Our Dave died when he was nine years old. There were complications during his appendectomy, you see,” Murray continued. His tone was perfectly conversational, but from the way he busied himself with the dishes Dave could tell that he was barely holding it together.

“I had one too. It was a near thing,” Dave said, swallowing; his mouth remained dry. He didn’t remember any of it, just his parents’ relief when he woke up afterwards. His Dad had told him years later what had happened.

“Please don’t tell her,” Murray said, passing him the last plate. “Please don’t tell her who you are. It would break her heart.”

It was too late for that, but Dave didn’t have it in him to betray Agnes’ trust, so he tried to look as serious as possible as he nodded, accepting the plate to dry it. “I’m sorry.”

Murray smiled. “I’m glad that you survived…”

“Over There. We call the other universe Over There,” Dave said, deciding not to tell him that Agnes had died in his universe.

“I’m glad you survived Over There,” Murray finished his sentence. “Losing a child is terrible. And we only had y— Dave.”

“I… I nearly lost my oldest son,” Dave offered, though he felt a bit guilty, after all his son had survived.

“What happened?” Murray asked, returning to his work, picking up a copper pot.

“He was infected with an alien illness after a space ship had crash-landed in the park. It was a near thing too, but Torchwood were able to help,” Dave said. It was the first time he had told an outsider. It felt good to get it off his chest.

“Is that how you met Rose?” Murray asked.

“No. I met her before that, but it’s how I found out what she does for a living,” Dave said. “Actually, she’s from this universe.”

“Oh?” Murray paused in what he was doing. “I had no idea that —”

Then Dave noticed his mistake. “Oh, no, she was stranded there years ago. It has nothing to do with what’s going on now, I’m afraid.”

“It must be so weird, experiencing a different universe,” Murray said. “You must be shocked.”

“It is overwhelming, but it’s also surprising how many things are similar. What bothers me most is the fact that time moves more slowly here than at home. I suppose it’s my birthday already,” he added.

“Aye,” Murray said, averting his eyes as he picked up the cutlery once more. “I’d forgotten about it over the excitement of having you round.”

Dave felt helpless again. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Don’t worry, son. Just… bear with us.”

Dave was close to telling Murray about his Mum’s death when the phone vibrated in his pocket. He dropped the towel and retrieved the mobile from his pocket. Disappointed at first that it was only a text, he was about to dismiss it as spam when he saw that the number on the screen was replaced with Rose’s name. His heart sped up as he opened the message.

_The Doctor did it! This message contains a virus that will enable your phone for universal roaming. Call me. Love you, Rose X._

“Are you all right?”

“Aye. It’s… I can call Rose now. The Doctor fixed my phone,” Dave stammered. His fingers were shaking as he drew up her number from the contacts list and hit the green button. For a few moments nothing happened, but then came the chirpy modem-tone he hadn’t heard in ages, and then, finally, the call connected.

“Rose?” he asked, lifting the phone to his ear.


	31. Thirty

Thirty

Rose burst into tears. The Doctor had done it. Her hands were shaking so badly now that she could barely hold the phone. Luckily, she had insisted on going to her office to wait for Dave’s call, should it come. It wasn’t that she hadn’t trusted the Doctor. It was just such a long shot, such a desperate measure that he’d taken to give Dave universal roaming from a distance, through the walls of the universes.

“Rose?” Dave asked. His voice sounded as clear as if they were talking on the landline within town. “Rose, love, what’s wrong?”

The alarm in his voice made her pull herself together. 

“You can call me,” Rose said, her voice breaking with tears. She was glad she was able to speak at all. 

“Yes, I can,” Dave replied softly. “Are you all right?”

“More than,” she said, sniffling. She wiped her eyes furiously; she needed to pull herself together. “What about you?” 

Dave hesitated a bit. “Aye. I’m not sure. There have been... things.”

“Things?”

“Developments. I’m at my parents’. They’re with Torchwood.”

Rose blinked. So his mother was alive Over There. “Is there another you?” she asked after a beat. There was a time and place for all the other questions. “Hang on. Did you say they work for Torchwood?”

“They do. Listen, Rose. You need to tell the Doctor something. Murray and Agnes have made an important discovery,” Dave said. Going by his voice Rose was sure that Dave was fighting his own tears. She couldn’t even begin to imagine how upsetting meeting Agnes must be. And he hadn’t answered her question about his counterpart.

“You can tell him yourself. I’m at the Priory. I’m sorry, Dave,” she said. It was only then that she realised that she had betrayed his trust. She had promised him that she would look after the children, and what had she done? The moment she couldn’t bear it any more, the moment Murray had turned up, she’d run and abandoned the bairns.

Across the universes she could hear Dave sigh in relief.

“Dave?”

“What day is it?”

“It’s...” Rose found herself unable to say it was his birthday. For some reason the words refused to come. “Saturday. Your Dad’s with the children. He has made a discovery too. He even gave me his notebook.”

Again, Dave didn’t reply at once. “The Tilers reckon our two universes are taking up the same space. The weak spots around the world serve as portals between them.”

Rose was glad for Dave’s pragmatism; he gave her something to do when she was so close to breaking down. “Yeah. The Time Lords call it the Quicksand Effect. We weren’t sure about the universes overlapping, though.”

The Doctor, who had ostentatiously busied himself at the bank of computers to resist following her to her office, had given in to the temptation to admire his handiwork and joined her. “The universes are...?” he repeated. He had been standing just inside the room, taking a few steps towards her. But then he danced away from her, ruffling his hair as he was wont to when he was processing something important. “Of course! That’d explain Murray’s cryptic notes. He simply doesn’t know any better. Oh, I’ve been so thick! Thickthicketythickthick! Oh, and Jenny prefers not to be called a Time Lord, by the way.”

“No, she doesn’t,” Rose rolled her eyes. The Doctor had been winding Jenny up all day, and it was just like him to to press the joke to the limit. 

“Anyway, you’re brilliant!” the Doctor enthused, his voice somersaulting with glee. “Gimme,” he said, taking the phone from her so he could talk to Dave.

“What can we do?” Dave asked, tugging on the Doctor’s kite string to pull him back to reality.

“Can I talk to one of them? I need to know a few things about Torchwood,” the Doctor said.

“Murray’s here,” Dave said, passing the phone to the man in question.

Rose had hoped to be able to speak to Dave in private; this was supposed to be her private office, after all. She felt as if she didn’t have a place of her own any more, since she couldn’t leave the children alone and go back to her house. But of course finding a way to get everyone back to where they belonged was more important than pillow talk with Dave. To her surprise, the Doctor gestured for her to join him, and when she was close enough to him, as close as they so often were when they were traveling together, he wrapped his free arm around her and pulled her up against him. Her arms went automatically around him.

The Doctor felt so very different from Dave she didn’t even know where to begin her cataloguing. Strangely enough, holding him — and being held by him — felt right. It was the comfort of a best friend, a comfort that reminded her of more carefree days, when she didn’t have a handful of kids to look after. Maybe returning to her universe with the Doctor was the right choice after all. They could go back to travelling, the three of them, in the TARDIS. She was sure that she and Donna would get on well with each other.

She didn’t listen to the Doctor’s conversation, so caught up was she in her dreams of going back to a simpler life. When he let go of her she realised, quite shockingly, how easily she had indulged in that daydream, how quickly she had forgotten about her promises to both Dave and the children. Rose wrapped her arms around herself. She didn’t think she’d ever felt so awful – not even when she’d left her family behind in search of the Doctor.

“Rose?” the Doctor said, holding the phone out for her.

Numbly, Rose took it. The Doctor kissed her forehead and left her, pulling the door closed behind him.

“Rose?” Dave asked.

“Hey,” she said hoarsely.

“It’s going to be all right. _We_ are going to be all right,” he said.

“Are we?” she asked.

“Rose, what’s wrong?”

“I left the kids the first chance I got and I — I wonder what it would be like to return to my own universe with the Doctor,” she blurted. She just couldn’t keep those awful thoughts secret any more. For a long time now she’d felt as if she would burst, or lose herself, if she didn’t talk to someone. Horrifyingly, luckily, inevitably, that man was Dave himself, the very person she least wanted to know what was going on inside her because she was so, so ashamed of herself.

“Why did you leave?”

Rose felt dizzy and dropped bonelessly onto the sofa. “What?”

“Why did you leave them?”

“I couldn’t bear it. Being so helpless,” Rose said.

“Did the bairns tie you to your chair?” he asked. “Cling to your legs, block the door, cry, scream? Beg? Promise to be good?”

Fresh tears welled up in her eyes. “No.”

He said nothing.

“They… they seemed to be glad I was going to the Priory,” Rose continued, her breath hitching, cupping her forehead. “I asked if they wanted to come with me but they preferred to stay at home with Murray.”

“And he gave you his notebook,” Dave said. “He never gives his notebooks to anyone, Rose.”

“Oh.”

“I’m glad you went to the Priory, Rose,” Dave said. Again, there was a brief pause before he spoke again. “Life here isn’t easy either. You’re not here. And… I’ve met my parents who are not my parents. And Rita.”

The last bit had come out in a rush, as if his need to tell her everything were stronger than his intention to wait to tell her when they saw each other again.

Rita.

He had already told her that he had met the Rita Over There, but she had tried not to dwell on it too much. At least she had an idea now of what he must be going through when he pictured her with the Doctor in his own house.

“It must be… upsetting,” Rose said. “I know the feeling.”

“Do ye?” He sounded tense. Of course he did.

“Yeah. I met my Dad before he died. I couldn’t talk to him properly until he figured out who I was,” Rose said. The memory was still painful. “I’ll tell you all about it when you’re back, yeah?”

“Aye,” he said. “So, is this a good time to ring the bairns?”

“Yes. It’s just… oh dear. I’d better get back. Anna is coming,” Rose said.

Dave sniggered but sobered quickly. “Make her call me if she doesn’t behave. She’s a good woman, Rose. She just doesn’t deal with her grief very well.”

“I’ll try to keep that in mind,” Rose said. “I love you, Dave.”

“As I love you.”

“Happy Birthday.”

-:-

Anna stood quickly and rushed to meet her in the hall before Rose had a chance to take off her coat. Anna was pale, but her eyes were fiery, and there was a tension about her mouth and shoulders that didn’t bode well. 

“Where is he?” she demanded, her voice barely able to contain her rage. “What have you done to him? To them?” She pointed in the general direction of the kitchen. 

Robin and Evie had followed her, but Evie was a bit quicker because she could slip through the tiny spaces easily. Her momentum propelled her into Rose, who wrapped her arms around the girl to keep them both upright. “Rose!”

“It’s all right, Evie,” Rose said, giving her a reassuring squeeze.

“I talked to Dad! He called me on my mobile!” Evie told her breathlessly.

Rose smiled. “Did he?”

“Where is Dave?” Anna repeated, crossing and uncrossing her arms in front of her, unsure of how to steel herself for what was to come. Rose had had no idea how scared Anna was. Or she herself, for that matter.

“Anna, please,” Robin said gently. He touched his wife’s shoulder tentatively at first, then with growing confidence. “I’m sure Rose will answer all your questions and provide you with all you need to know promptly and post haste.”

“Please, tell me what happened,” Anna said, her rage making way for despair.

“Let’s go in here,” Rose suggested, pushing the door to the lounge open.

When they were all seated, Evie cuddled up to Anna, Rose began to tell them what had happened and to answer all of their questions. She decided to entrust them with the complete truth about herself. It was the only way to get their trust, and since she was going to be part of their family she knew that sooner or later they needed to know what she did for a living. There might come a time when they needed that kind of knowledge. Strangely enough, Rose found it very easy to tell them, and Anna and Robin were an attentive, if healthily sceptical audience at first. But when Rose explained to them about the work they did at the Priory, how they had been able to help Paul in the summer, they finally believed her. It was a real place and it had been a tough experience for them too.

“Can we meet this Doctor?” Anna asked. “I want to talk to him.”

Rose gave her the phone. “You can also call Dave.”

“This is fascinating and intriguing,” Robin said, taking off his glasses to run a hand over his face. “Unbelievable and incredible.”

Rose smirked. The Doctor would have a ball telling Robin to stop talking like a thesaurus. She stood to leave them to their private conversation, holding her hand out for Evie to come with her, and joined the other kids and Murray.

“We were just about to draw straws. There aren’t many volunteers when it comes to checking for survivors,” Murray said.

Rose laughed. “They know everything now.”

He nodded. “Aye, very wise decision, lassie.”

“What about the Doctor?” Lucy asked anxiously.

“He is talking to Torchwood Glasgow back in his own universe,” Rose reported. “Together with your notes and their findings I’m sure they’ll be able to find a way back soon.” She wondered briefly if she should tell them that Dave had enlisted the help of his parents Over There but decided against it; there would be so many questions she wasn’t able or willing to answer, particularly when it came to Mrs Tiler.

Anna and Robin joined them then, Anna busying herself fixing a fresh pot of tea to cover her embarrassment.

“So, what do you think?” Ewan asked, sliding forward in his chair to sit on its very edge.

“About?” Robin asked, adjusting his glasses.

“Rose and Torchwood,” Ewan replied, rolling his eyes.

“I think,” Robin said, leaning towards his nephew conspiratorially, “they’re amazing.”

-:-

On Sunday morning, Rose and Murray dropped Lucy off at Donna’s. Although it was a school night, Rose and Donna had agreed to Lily and Lucy’s plans. The atmosphere in Hillingdon Drive had been tense because all they could really do was wait. Anna and Robin had decided to take the boys and Evie on a family outing to give Murray and Rose some guilt-free time at the Priory once they’d had a chance to meet the Doctor and Jenny.

“Professor!” the Doctor cried in delight when he saw Murray and Rose enter the Console Room. He jumped up and hurried towards them to shake Murray’s hand.

“Who?” Murray asked in confusion.

“Oh. Sorry,” the Doctor grinned, tugging at his earlobe. “Got confused there for a while. New universe, new time lines. It’s a bit too tempting. Sorry.”

“I’ll be a professor one day?” Murray asked, frowning. As far as Rose knew, Murray didn’t have any plans to qualify as a university lecturer. He preferred the life of a recluse the observatory offered him. It was a result of losing his wife, but on the two occasions that Rose had met him, Rose had found that he was very good with people, his grandchildren in particular.

“Spoilers. I’m sorry. Now, Professor,” the Doctor said, slipping his specs back on, “I believe we have work to do.”

The natural weak spots in and around Glasgow had been made even weaker by Rose’s attempts to cross back to her own universe with the Dimension Cannon. As a result, Jenny’s Vortex Manipulator had been affected and transported her to this universe, which was made easier by the fact that the two universes were occupying the same space, something which happened only very rarely since the universes were usually kept discrete by both Time and Space. What they needed to find out was how the Doctor had been taken back to his own universe, only to cross over by accident again. Jenny, who was a Time Lady as well, on the other hand, had not been able to return by design or by accident.

At one point Jenny and Rose decided they all needed a break, and they were setting the table while Dominic and Mickey went out to pick up the food they had ordered from Tony’s. 

“He’s going to sneak away when we find a way back,” Jenny said, setting out the glasses.

Rose stopped folding the napkins. This statement did and did not surprise her. She’d been wondering about saying goodbye to the Doctor properly this time. They both needed the closure, but it was going to hurt badly. “I know.” And she realised it was the truth.

“He still loves you very much,” Jenny continued.

Rose smiled. “I’m glad he has you back. He’s always been so lonely, even when I was with him.”

“That’s not true,” Jenny protests.

“Yes, it is, Jenny.”

“He didn’t believe in me, but he believed in you. From the moment you first met,” Jenny said.

“But he does believe in you now. He didn’t know you were enough like him after all. He feels very guilty about it,” Rose replied. She had felt all his guilt descend on her when he had shared his memories of his youngest daughter with her. It had been overwhelming. “You don’t feel that way unless you love someone very much. Unconditionally.”

Jenny looked at her. “He’s right about you.”

Rose frowned.

“You always know the right thing to say. And you know what I like so much about you?”

Rose wasn’t sure she wanted to hear it, even if it was something good. Jenny, however, continued anyway. “You mean what you say. It’s not just empty words. I’ll miss you when we return to our universe.”

Rose sat thoughtfully. “I wish I could have gotten to know you better too. But I’m glad he’s got you. And Donna. Look after him for me.”

Jenny smiled; it was a gorgeous smile that reached her warm blue eyes. “I promise.”

Then the penny dropped.

“You’ve already found the solution to the problem, haven’t you?” Rose asked.

“He just can’t bring himself to leave yet,” Jenny replied. Rose was glad she honoured her with the truth. 

“Thank you.”

Just then Dominic and Mickey returned with the food, and Jenny went to get the Doctor. For a few beats Rose panicked, imagining the two Time Lords sneaking off when everyone else wasn’t looking. She hurried to the Console Room after Jenny, pretending to need to check something. She saw the Doctor sitting at a computer terminal, the screen live with a simulation. He was leaning into Jenny, who held him as he — was he crying?

Rose’s face felt fiery all of a sudden. She was about to turn away from the intimate scene, but the Time Lords’ superior hearing had of course alerted them of her presence.

“I’m sorry, I…” Rose said as Jenny turned her head to look at her.

The Doctor let go of Jenny but remained facing the screen. He was scrubbing his hands over his face, slipping on his mask for her. Rose wished he wouldn’t.

“I’ll go wash my hands,” Jenny said, and when she passed Rose gave her arm a quick squeeze.

“So,” Rose began. “This is goodbye.”

The Doctor turned around, his sad smile in place. He nodded.

Her heart was thumping hard inside her chest. “How does this work?”

“Well, we go back to mine and I send Dave back to you as soon as I’ve made some adjustments to the cross-universal thingummy we designed.”

“Is that a technical term?”

The Doctor laughed. “You know me.”

Rose took a deep breath. “What about Lily?”

“What about her?”

“She’ll have to return home, won’t she?”

“I can’t send her to her death,” the Doctor said. “I’ll fix something. She died in that air raid. Dave told me. They never found her body.” 

“And her family will never know she’s fine but in another universe,” Rose said.

“It’s just like you. And Micky and Jackie,” the Doctor pointed out.

“Yeah.”

He stood and walked to her.

“You were going to leave while we were waiting for you with tea,” Rose pointed out. “You’re sneaky like that.”

“I’m not good at goodbyes.”

“Were you going to burn up another sun for me?”

He laughed. “No.”

“Can I at least hug you?”

“Always, Rose Tyler.”

Rose stepped into his arms and she lost herself in his smell of soap and marble halls that she loved so much until it was time to let him go.


	32. Thirty-One

Thirty-One

After he had given Murray his phone Dave joined Donna and Agnes in the parlour. He took the coffee that had just finished brewing with him, setting the tray on the table between the settees. The two women had been deep in conversation and they looked up in surprise when they saw him enter.

“Where’s Murray?” Agnes asked.

“He’s talking to the Doctor,” Dave said, still amazed by what had happened. “The Doctor fixed my phone so I can call home.”

Agnes smiled. “Reminds me of E.T.”

Dave laughed. “Aye, now that you mention it… I hope I’m better-looking than E.T., though.”

“Much,” Donna said.

Dave sat down and ran his hand through his hair in an attempt to clear his head. Did the fact that the Doctor had enabled his phone for universal roaming mean that it was going to be a while yet before he’d find a way back for them?

“You’d like to call the bairns,” Agnes said, pouring the coffee.

“I’d like to be with them,” he said, accepting the cup she passed him. “It’s my birthday today.” He couldn’t keep that fact to himself any more. He hadn’t wanted to mention it because he knew his inability to deal with people’s sympathy, and suddenly he understood Lucy so much better. But he also wanted to vent his frustration and his fear, and that only worked if he gave up his resolution.

“You never said,” Donna gasped.

“Nae, I couldnae,” Dave said, slipping into his brogue. “I’m sorry, I…”

“The loo’s just down the hall,” Agnes said.

Unable to speak, Dave stood and left them; he desperately needed a few moments to himself. Now that he finally had the means to call the children he couldn’t do it because Murray and the Doctor needed to talk. But it was just as well, since he was hardly in any shape to talk to his bairns right now. Until he’d blurted out it was his birthday he hadn’t thought about it much. It wasn’t that important to him — his birthday was more important to the children. Birthdays were among the few rituals they had kept after Rita’s death, albeit as a more subdued celebration. Dave was confident, however, that, given enough time, they would return to being more exuberant.

He closed and locked the door behind him and braced himself on the small washbasin, staring at himself in the mirror above it. He looked like hell. If he were to return right now he’d give the kids a right scare. He was pale, and the rings beneath his eyes had rings. He looked older. Dave squeezed his eyes shut and ducked his head to avoid the sadness he saw in the mirror. There was absolutely no way he’d meet his children in such a state. He needed to pull himself together; there was time enough to fall apart later. 

But he needed to relax a bit first, and he allowed himself a few sobs and tears before he splashed his face with cold water.

He mustn’t be too long lest the others came looking for him. He’d been in here a while, and he wondered—

No, it was Donna, of course. It must be Donna who asked Murray and Agnes not to come and find him. 

How hard it must be for them to see their wee boy as a grown man, alive in a parallel universe. But he wasn’t their son, he was an entirely different person, just like he was sure Agnes and Murray were. True, the similarities between Murray and his own father, as well as the two Ritas, were striking but the differences were dramatic and made it clear that they were very different people. They must realise that too, and therefore it would be better if Donna and he left as soon as possible, as soon as Murray and the Doctor had finished their shop-talk.

“We need to go to Torchwood,” Murray announced as Dave returned to the parlour. Murray returned the mobile to him but Dave didn’t take it at once. Dave had frozen and his stomach did several backwards flips. For a few beats the need to sit down was almost overpowering, but then he realised what Murray’s words implied. It was very likely that a solution was at hand; why else would they go to Torchwood? They’d probably need the technology and the help of Archibald O’Connell to make this work.

“Dave, are you all right?” Donna asked, touching his arm.

Dave pocketed his mobile and looked at her. “Aye.”

“Well then, let’s go,” Murray said cheerfully, rubbing his hands.

-:-

Donna covered his hand with hers as they sat at the conference table in the vast room on the second floor of a former warehouse. Conference table was probably too posh a word for the table that was about the size of his kitchen table, and was, if possible, even more battered. Torchwood in this universe was a less shiny place than Rose’s beautifully renovated and state-of-the-art institute at the Priory. It was clear that this Torchwood received less funding than Rose’s, and he didn’t even want to think about what that meant about it being legal. On the other hand, its three employees had to be paid by someone. It’d be interesting to know who that was, since Rose had told him that Vitex didn’t exist in her original universe.

“I have no idea what they’re doing,” Dave said, freeing his thumb to brush it over the backs of Donna’s fingers.

“Having them explain it to us won’t be much of a help,” Donna sighed. “The more the Doctor tells me how brilliant and important I am, the less I believe him.”

“Don’t say that,” Dave said.

“No, seriously. All I’ve ever done — and ever do, and probably will do — is trust my guts and common sense,” Donna protested.

Dave smiled. “There aren’t many people around who do that, so it does make you special. And you and Rose both told me that it’s not a good idea to leave the Doctor up to his own devices for any length of time.”

“Yeah. Still. He’s the one who saves lives.”

He was fighting an uphill battle. Donna didn't seem to want to be persuaded, so Dave didn’t even mention that sometimes all the Doctor needed was some inspiration, and you had to have the certain _je ne sais quoi_ to be able to inspire people in general or him in particular. The Doctor had an ability to see the big picture, to make connections that others couldn’t see; one would think that he would inspire himself. But at the end of the day, what he really needed seemed to be some human insight. Dave would say heart but that seemed grossly unfair because Rose and Donna had described him as a very caring person. Dave supposed that the Doctor would always remain an enigma to him. It was probably for the best.

Dave was spared an embarrassingly trite answer when Agnes wheeled herself towards them, grinning broadly. “We’re making progress, but I’m afraid Murray will need your mobile again. I’m going to set it up as a router so the Doctor will be able to send us some files.”

Dave stared at her. He had no idea she was such a clever woman, or that you could even do things like that.

“If that’s okay with you, of course,” Agnes hurried to say. “It’ll take a while so you won’t be able to talk to your bairns. Or Rose.”

“Oh,” Dave hadn’t thought of that. “I’d like to call them before you go and fix things. Just to let them know that they needn’t worry.” He felt like weeping. Just as he’d gotten a powerful tool to keep his homesickness at bay it was taken away from him, even if it meant that in exchange he’d get back home.

“It won’t be for long. Maybe a couple of hours,” Agnes said. 

“Is there anything we can do to help?” Donna asked. She’d been getting increasingly fidgety. She, too, could sense that things were finally making progress.

“Nothing apart from making more tea, I’m afraid. Although… you could go back to the TARDIS to get Dave’s things,” Agnes said.

“You sound very confident,” Donna said. Dave almost hated her for saying it out loud, but she was right, of course. It simply wouldn’t do to get their hopes up. He stood, fishing for his mobile.

“I’ll be back in a few,” he said. 

“You can use the lab,” Agnes said, turning her chair around to point Dave in the general direction of the small room which had been partitioned off from the rest of the hall by glass walls. It was covered by a dome and a silver tube that housed a powerful extractor fan and filter. It looked a bit like a giant still made of glass and steel. He nodded at Agnes and gave her shoulder a grateful squeeze.

He decided only to call one of the kids and Rose. He didn’t want to keep the Tilers waiting, particularly since they had no idea when the two universes would start moving away from each other. Given how long the universes had been in alignment it was very unlikely for that to happen within the next few hours, but you never knew. After all, the Doctor had been jolted back to his own universe before he’d been trapped here, and that was how it all began. If the two universes moved apart there would be no way back. The very idea made Dave feel sick and he sat on the floor with his head between his knees for a few minutes before he felt strong enough to call Lucy and Rose.

“Dad,” Lucy asked, his voice slurred with sleep.

Dave’s heart clenched. “Hey. I’m sorry. Go back to sleep, sweetheart.”

“’S okay. You all right?”

“I just wanted to let you know that you won’t be able to call me for a few hours. They need my phone to send some files,” Dave explained.

“Umm. Aye,” Lucy said. She was so out of it that Dave wondered if she would remember the conversation in the morning. It didn’t matter.

“Love you,” Dave said. “Now go back to sleep.”

“Love you too, Dad.” Dave could hear the rustling of her sheets before the girl managed to hit the button that disconnected the call. There was no point in waking Rose now. She needed her sleep, and by the time they woke he’d have his mobile back. 

Now all they could do was wait. Dave let his head drop back against one of the kitchen counters and closed his eyes. Eventually, he got up to give his mobile to Agnes, who took it from him as if it were the Holy Grail. To her it probably was.

While the Tilers worked on the cross-universal thingummy — “Yes, that’s a technical term, coined by the Doctor” — Donna and he returned to the TARDIS to get his things. Just as they were leaving to go downtown in Agnes’ car, Archibald O’Connell arrived. He was Dave’s age and looked like one of the Dads he might meet at the parents’ evening at his kids’ schools. 

“I’d like to get something else,” Dave said. “Something for the kids. Rose mentioned a few books from her childhood that don’t exist Over There.”

“We should get them first. It’s getting late and shops are closing,” Donna said, steering the car confidently through the Friday night traffic.

There was a bookshop not far from where the Doctor had parked the TARDIS and Dave and Donna quickly found the books and some small gifts that Dave could easily take back in a shoulder bag Donna said Lucy would love. He had so little on the TARDIS, he could fit most of it in his pockets; the clothes would be added to the wardrobe.

When they returned to the industrial district where Torchwood was located, Dave realised that they were in the very same district where he had found Rose and where he had disappeared. “Why didn’t I recognise the place earlier?” he wondered aloud.

“You were kinda lost in thought,” Donna said gently, steering the car into the courtyard. “It makes sense, though, doesn’t it?”

Dave laughed. “Aye.”

Darkness had long since fallen; he shouldn’t have been able to recognise the place, but it kind of made sense that he had. Was it the promise of home or just his mind playing tricks? Dave didn’t care. All that mattered was that the Tilers and O’Connell were able to put the Doctor’s plan into effect.

They stepped into the gigantic warehouse lift opened directly into the main room of Torchwood. Agnes met them there. “They did it.”

“What?”

“They’ve stabilised the Crack. It’s a portal now.” Her voice suggested that she only grasped the full meaning of her words as she spoke them. “They need you.”

His heart thumping, Dave nodded. He was about to follow Agnes, when he realised that this was it. If everything went well, this was his last chance to say goodbye to his new friend. “Donna,” he said.

She turned towards him, and when he held out his arms for her, she stepped into his embrace. “Thank you so much. For everything.” He held her tight and he was surprised by the strength with which she returned the gesture. 

Donna smiled bravely. “Well then, that’s it.” This time it was she who hugged him first. “I’m so going to miss you. You take good care of Rose and the children.”

“I will. Promise me something?” he said, whispering into her ear through the mass of ginger hair. “Be brilliant. Because you are.”

Donna smiled uncertainly at that and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Come on.”

They joined Agnes and Murray at the bank of computers.

“Ah, there you are!” Murray said cheerfully. “Archie is going out into the alley where it all began to fine tune the cross-universal thingummy and check the CCTV camera. A cable seems to have come loose.”

One of the screens was filled with a snow storm of static, but then the grey mass shifted and out of the waves emerged a surprisingly high-res image of the alley. Archie grinned at them, his face distorted to a huge nose and unnaturally wide rows of teeth, and gave them the thumbs-up. They watched him descend the ladder he must have picked up on his way to the alley and move into the alley. Archie produced a small device from his coat pocket and fiddled with it. The image on the screen shifted once more and this time, it revealed the portal. It looked liked a hole in a wall. It was flickering and shifting so it was hard for Dave to make out what lay beyond it.

“Is that it?” he asked.

“Aye,” Murray said, his voice filled with awe. “That’s what the Doctor told us to look for.”

“So what happens next?” Donna asked. “Don’t you need Dave to be out there?”

“Not yet. Jenny is going to come through first. She has a device on her that will stabilise the portal further. This way the Doctor can make some adjustments before you go through,” Agnes explained. 

“Right,” Dave said.

“The Doctor will come through last. He’s going to seal the portal,” Agnes continued. She gave Dave his mobile. He stared a bit dumbly at it before she told him with the smile he remembered so fondly to call the Doctor to tell him they were ready.

“Allons-y!” was all the Doctor said, but he did so with gut-wrenching enthusiasm. For a beat Dave was tempted to tell him no because he was so scared of what might happen if things didn’t work. But that was when Jenny came tumbling through the portal and landed in the wet alley in a heap. They watched Archie rush forward to check on her. Dave knew what was coming. He remembered the sensation of coming through the portal all too well, the powerful feeling of disorientation coupled with the need to retch.

Sure enough, Jenny threw up after Archie had wrapped a blanket around her and given her an umbrella. Dave hadn’t noticed the equipment; Archie must have put it there earlier, along with the ladder.

“Poor girl,” Donna said. “I’ll go and get her.”

Dave worried the back of his thumb while they waited for the two women.

“I wish we’d had more time to get to know each other,” Agnes said as Murray busied himself a the computers to adjust some settings.

“Me too,” Dave said, biting his lip and ducking his head briefly to remind himself of the fact that she mustn’t know that she was dead in his universe. “It’s better this way.”

“Yes, I suppose it is. In some weird trans-universal way. At least we’ve had the chance to meet,” Agnes said, smiling. She reached for his hand. “I do realise you’re not my son, but if you were I’d be very proud of you.”

Dave didn’t know what to say. He was so close to blurting how much he missed his Mum. “I…” he began but then he simply stooped to hug Agnes. “Thank you.”

Donna and Jenny arrived then, and Dave hurried to open the door for them. Jenny looked a bit green around the gills, and for a moment she did a double take but then she remembered what had happened. “You and Dad really do look alike,” she said. “Hello!”

“We’ve met. At the supermarket,” Dave reminded her.

“Yes, we have, haven’t we.”

They looked at each other for a while.

“I think I’d better make a few adjustments. We don’t have much time,” she said, walking towards the Tilers.

“Are the universes drifting apart?” Donna asked in alarm.

“No, they’re still stationary, but I don’t quite trust the portal,” Jenny said. Murray gave her a brief introduction to the system before she bent over the keyboard and started working.

“You ought to…” Murray began, gesturing at the CCTV monitor which showed Archie making some adjustments of his own in the alley beneath his umbrella. It was chucking it down now.

“Aye,” Dave said. “Thank you for everything.”

Murray looked as if he wanted to say something but instead he opted for a hug and a clap on the shoulder. “It was a pleasure.”

Dave nodded and adjusted the shoulder strap of his bag. He was reluctant to leave. It shouldn’t be that way. He should be running towards the portal.

“What about Lily?” he asked, suddenly realising what had given him that sense of unease, of something being not quite right. 

“Who?”

“She’s not coming,” Jenny said. Then she looked up. “You really should go.”

“Yes, right. Thank you.”

She smiled her radiant smile at him. “Go.”

Dave stepped into the rain. His jeans were soaked by the time he joined Archie, who welcomed him with a wide grin. “Ready?”

Dave nodded. He already felt like throwing up.

“Good. Just step through it. Good luck, mate!”

Dave adjusted the shoulder strap once more, took a deep breath and stepped through the portal. The air around him was filled with static fizz and the white noise of a radio that wasn’t tuned in. Out of a reflex, he reached out for purchase as he stepped over the knee-high threshold, and the edge of the portal, although only outlined in blue light, was solid beneath his grip. Thus encouraged, he moved forward more boldly. He had no idea where he was going.

“Please,” he prayed as darkness and silence enveloped him briefly. Then he felt as if someone had given him a good push and a strong tug at the same time and he stumbled forward onto all fours, feeling disoriented and sick. All he could hear was the rush of blood in his head.

And then he felt hands on his back, hands helping him up, but he pushed them away as he gave in to the nausea and vomited his tea into a bucket that was shoved into his hands.

“Welcome back,” Dominic said wryly, rubbing his shoulders soothingly.


	33. Thirty-Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On LJ, this chapter is posted as a missing scene called _I Met a Lord of Time_. I've included it as a regular chapter here.

Thirty-Two

The atmosphere in the room crackled and it wasn't just from the static the portal generated. The Doctor’s hearts were pounding in the too tight space of his chest. Thirty-seven minutes and twenty-three seconds had passed since Jenny had stepped inside the miniature Vortex they had created between the tears in the universes. Surely, changes and tweaks couldn’t take that long, unless there was a problem. There had been a call to let them know that Jenny had made it through safely. His long life had been filled with enough disappointment that he didn’t quite trust the universes to play nicely this time.

He’d hated the idea of Jenny stepping through first, but he knew it couldn’t be avoided. He needed to go last to make absolutely sure that the walls of the universe were firmly in place once more. So of course he had no idea if going through the Vortex was safe in the first place until they called to let him know that his daughter had arrived and all was well.

His daughter.

He still found it hard to believe that he had Jenny back, that it was really her. The realisation that he wasn't the Last One any more had been as overwhelming as it had been on Messaline; he could hardly believe he wasn't alone any more. He was ashamed of himself because he had given up on her twice. Once when he refused to acknowledged that she was more than just a loomed version of himself, not Time Lord enough, and then when she’d died he hadn’t allowed for a sufficient length of time to pass before her regeneration kicked in. He should have known better in both cases. His hearts, however, had refused to accept his Sudden Unexpected Fatherhood and what it entailed. It was just too good to be true. This time, in this crazy experiment, he could lose her for good. It was a miracle that she had made it this far at all. It had turned out that the combination of her Vortex Manipulator and Rose’s Dimension Cannon had wrought havoc with the Glasgow Rift and had made passing between the universes possible. Jenny, driven by her guilt, had insisted she go first. He shouldn’t have let her, but it was the only way to make absolutely sure that the hole was sealed.

Tom’s phone rang. He answered it with two crisp affirmations. “Dave’s coming through now.”

The Doctor tensed and put on his glasses to concentrate on the console, his back turned to the portal. He didn’t really want to see Dave coming through. He wasn’t sure he wanted to meet Dave. It hurt too much.

There, he’d admitted it.

He still loved Rose, and while he was glad that she had found someone who loved her back, he found the idea of her being with someone else wrong. She was his. Or so he’d thought. She had been, but he had lost her as soon as he had told her that there was no way back for her. He had underestimated her determination to get back to him too.

The static crackle intensified and the console room filled with a low hum.

He had looked at Dave’s picture. It was still inconceivable that he looked just like him.

A groan and the damp thud of a man falling to all fours punctuated the crackle, followed by the thump of something inanimate hitting the ground, probably a bag. There were shuffling noises behind him, someone grabbed the red bucket and shoved it into the kneeling man’s arms. He blocked the retching sounds and all that followed. He wanted to brush past Dave and step through the portal. The readings were perfect, so there was no reason to dawdle. He knew his luck; Rose might turn up at the very last moment to see him off and welcome her lover. He’d see her with Dave, choosing him over a life in the TARDIS, in her own universe again.

He knew Dave was a decent man. He’d met his children. Rose loved him. That was good enough for him. He just didn’t want to have his nose rubbed in it. Surely, that wasn’t too much to ask?

Removing his specs, he picked a mug of tea Mickey had prepared earlier (and which they had been keeping warm by a brilliant little energy field Tom had dreamed up), stepped around the console hidden by the shadows and gave it to Dave. He might as well get this over with. He wanted to go home, to Jenny and Donna and the TARDIS.

-:-

Dave wanted to curl up and disappear in a corner. He was on his knees, his leather jacket and jeans dark with rain, rain that was now trickling along his scalp into his shirt and face, and he was losing his tea in a bucket. His ears were still filled with the static rush of stepping through the portal the Torchwood people had created. His whole body was shaking, and it wasn’t because of the cold.

A hand on his shoulder eased him back to reality, and when he looked up he saw Dominic was taking care of him. Dominic. So he’d made it. He was back in his own universe, with Rose, as it should be.

“Welcome back,” Dominic said, rubbing his shoulders soothingly.

“Thanks,” he croaked. The tension began to melt off him, and he guffawed.

“Here,” Dominic said, giving him a glass of water so he could get rid of the taste of bile. When he returned the glass, he got a towel in exchange, which he rubbed over his hair and face. He climbed to his feet, and for a moment he felt like a foal trying to keep himself upright on gangly legs.

“This might help,” a startlingly familiar voice said, and he accepted the mug of tea without looking at his benefactor until he dropped the towel onto his shoulder.

It was as if he were looking into a mirror, facing a very familiar and yet strange face. The other man’s hair was artfully styled in a sticky-uppy fashionable way, but certainly not as bad as his own current overexcited hedgehog look. His expression had gone slack in the moment of recognition, but it was quickly replaced with a wide grin.

“I was wondering what I’d look like without the sidies. Not bad, but I think I’ll stick to them, thank you very much,” the Doctor said. 

_Rose never mentioned them_ , Dave thought. 

“Are you all right?” the Doctor asked.

“Aye.” Or at least he thought he was going to be. Once he had made sure that he really was in the right universe.

“Is Jenny all right?” For a moment, the Doctor’s eyes widened a little.

“Aye, apart from the dimension-hopping nausea,” Dave said.

“Dimension-hopping nausea!” the Doctor repeated with relish. “I like that, Dave. Sounds like a proper technical term. Dimension-hopping nausea. Good man.”

Dave wasn’t sure if that was a compliment or an insult. Going by what Rose and Donna had told him about the Time Lord, he took it as the former. 

“Well, then, I think I should be off,” he said, launching himself towards one of the consoles. “Allons-y!”

“Hang on,” Dave said, shaking off the last of his disorientation. This couldn’t be it. This couldn’t possibly be all they had to say to each other, not after all that had happened. He turned around to look at the Doctor. He was very skinny, a fact that was compounded by the pinstriped suit he was wearing. Rose had never mentioned the Doctor’s clothes either. So she really didn’t see the Doctor when she looked at him.

The Doctor quirked an eyebrow at him, pushing his hands into his trouser pockets. 

“This is _my_ universe?”

“Yep. Although I wouldn’t say it is yours, as in, you know, you own it. It’s just the universe you’re from. Oh, and there’s me, of course. Best proof you belong here.”

Dave frowned.

“Semantics. Brilliant stuff, don’t you think?” 

Dave had had enough. Was it possible to get one straight answer out of this madly rambling man? This brilliant Time Lord who could fix everything and save whole civilisations? The man Rose would have died for, twice? “Where’s Rose?” He’d expected her to be here, but so far he hadn’t spotted her. Turning around to see who was in the console room, he saw the regular Torchwood crowd, but not Rose.

“At home, in bed. It _is_ the middle of the night, Dave,” the Doctor said.

“Oh. I set off after tea.”

“Good to know, thanks,” the Doctor said. He bounced on the balls of his feet, but then stopped and suddenly became serious. “You take good care of Rose, yeah? She’s…”

“Aye. Of course I will.”

“Tiler with an i and Tyler with a y. What a combination. An i and a y. Brilliant,” the Doctor grinned. Then he sobered. “Promise me something.”

Dave looked at him cautiously, but expectantly. He needed to hear the request before he could agree. The Doctor seemed to sense his reluctance too, because he went on without awaiting his reply. “Trust her. Her life’s a bit mad, but it’ll always be you and the children she’ll come back to.”

Dave nodded.

“Give my love to the kids. They’re a brilliant bunch; very clever, very protective. And Rose is great with them. They adore her too,” he said. “They’re everything I can never have.”

He didn’t know what to say. The Doctor was clearly a lonely man, even when he had brilliant people like Rose and Donna travelling with him. “You have Miss Redfern now. Jenny. She’s your daughter, right?”

The Doctor’s ancient eyes lit up. “Yeah. I’ve got her. And I’ve got Donna.”

Still, Dave had a feeling that the Doctor was cautioning him to appreciate life with his family. As if he needed someone to tell him that.

“She’s right,” the Doctor continued.

“About?”

“We’re very different, although you look like me,” the Doctor said. “It’s uncanny. I thought it was funny that Rose’s doppelgänger in Pete’s World was a Yorkie. But knowing that there’s someone who looks like me here… it’s, well, a comfort.”

Rita and Agnes appeared before Dave’s inner eye. It was comforting, despite the fact that their counterparts Over There didn’t have the same personality. “I’m afraid I won’t regenerate.”

“Then don’t get yourself killed,” the Doctor said, smiling. “Well. I’d better get going. The sooner we put the multiverse to rights, the better, don’t you think, Dave Tiler?”

Dave smiled. “Aye.”

“Allons-y.”

“Goodbye, Doctor.”

“Don’t forget to give them my love,” the Doctor reminded him. Then Dave watched the man who looked like him straighten a bit, despite his self-confidence, and step through the portal. A little later, the image collapsed in on itself until it was just a tiny point of light in the centre of the screen, where it blinked into darkness with a soft pop like an old-fashioned telly being turned off.

“You should get changed, Dave. You’ll catch your death,” Dominic said.

Dave looked at the doctor in surprise. The whole encounter with the Doctor had been so surreal that he hadn’t been aware of anyone else in the room. It was a bit embarrassing. He stared at the mug of tea he was still holding. He hadn’t even touched it. “I’d like to go home.”

“I’ll drive you,” Dominic said.

When they were in the car, Dave kept mulling the strange encounter with the Doctor over in his head.

“He wasn’t always like that,” Dominic said.

“I’d started to question Rose’s taste,” Dave replied, chuckling.

“I think her taste is flawless,” Dominic said. “You’re a very lucky man, Dave.”

“I suppose so.”

What had the Doctor meant, _an i and a y_? The two letters had amused him a lot, but Dave couldn’t see what was so… “An i and a y?” he murmured.

“Sorry?”

“The Doctor loved the… game. About our last names,” Dave said.

“Oh, that. Beats me,” Dominic said. “He is a bit of a mad man. Are you sure you’re all right?”

“I’m fine. I just want to see Rose.”

“Of course. We’re nearly there.”

And then, when Dave caught his questioning glance in the passenger mirror, he understood. “An _eye_ and a _why_.”

“What?”

“Someone who sees and someone who asks. That’s what he meant about an i and a y.”


	34. Thirty-Three

Thirty-Three

Dave peaked in on the boys before he went upstairs, as he always did when he came home late. In the faint ambient light coming in through the window Dave saw that Paul’s bed was neatly made. A flash of worry nearly blinded him to the possibility that the bairns were sleeping over at a friend’s or at Anna’s. When he checked Ewan’s room, he found the bed untouched as well.

“Dave.”

Dave jumped as he heard his name, and when he turned around he saw his Dad standing in the hall, looking a bit rumpled but still in his clothes. He’d fallen asleep on the sofa again.

“Dad!” Dave said, closing the distance between them to embrace his father. This was really his Dad. 

“I must have nodded off. I was waiting up for you,” Murray said. “I’d brought Rose home when the call came that the cross-universal thingummy worked.”

“She doesn’t know?” Dave asked.

“No. She was completely out of it with exhaustion by tea time, so Dominic sent her home. Lovely lad, by the way. Lads. All of them,” Murray said, ending his speech by taking a deep breath and running his hand through his sparse hair. “I’ll go back to the Priory now. See if there’s anything I can do.”

“They’re celebrating,” Dave said.

Murray grinned. “Then that’s what we’ll do, eh? The bairns are with Anna and Robin, and Lucy is staying the night at the other doctor’s, what’s-her-name. Rose reckoned they wouldn’t get much sleep anyway, and maybe sleeping away from home would help them relax. I hope that’s okay.”

Dave was both disappointed and relieved. Disappointed because he had been hoping to hug his children, and relieved because he had time to come back to Rose without having to put the children first. Rose would have understood, but he’d have felt awful about preferring the kids over her. “Where’s Rose?”

“She’s in your room, hopefully asleep. She came downstairs for a drink and a wee chat,” he checked his fob watch, “oh, about an hour ago. Poor lassie’s so exhausted she can’t fall asleep.”

Dave looked up the stairs, worried. “How long since she last slept?”

“I dunnae know. I think it’s been a while. You look like you need a good night’s rest too. I should leave now,” Murray said, going to get his coat. “I can stay at the Priory.”

Dave wanted to tell him to stay, but they both knew it would have been awkward. “Drive safely.”

“Aye,” Murray said. “I’ll see you in the morning. Good night, son.”

Dave hurried up the stairs after he’d locked up the house behind Murray. He went to the bathroom to clean his teeth to get rid of the sour taste and to towel dry his damp hair. He stripped down to his underwear and padded to the bedroom, his pulse quickening as he imagined finding Rose between the covers of his bed. It was still such a very new idea to have her in his bed that for a moment he wondered if he could just lie down with her without needing to make love to her, but then his body reminded him of how tired he was.

The floorboards gave him away and he cursed inwardly. Rose was asleep and he didn’t want to wake her, not when she’d had such a hard time nodding off. To his chagrin, she stirred and moaned in the same way she did when she woke in the morning.

He stood still.

“It’s stopped raining,” Rose mumbled, rolling over to lie on her side.

“Aye. Go back to sleep, my love,” he whispered, slipping into bed behind her and drawing the covers over them. He hadn’t noticed the absence of the constant patter of raindrops against the skylight until she mentioned it. The Doctor must have fixed the universes.

“Mmm, Dave,” Rose mumbled, drawing his arm over her like an additional blanket so his hand rested between her breasts. She was so out of it that she couldn’t tell the difference between dream and reality. Dave moulded his body to the shape of her sleeping form. He needed to feel as much of her as possible.

“Shshsh, Rose, it’s all right,” he whispered.

“I love you.”

His heart skipped a beat. He was very tempted to wake her so she realised that she wasn’t just dreaming, but he didn’t have it in him. Instead, he tried to match his breathing to hers and relish lying with her in his arms again for as long as it would take him to go to sleep. “I love you too.”

Dave inhaled her scent and felt her heart beat steadily beneath his hand. He was back. He was back where he belonged.

-:-

Rose rolled to lie on her back. She’d had the most wonderful dream of Dave in bed with her, wrapped around her, and for a few moments, just as she was moving through the layers of consciousness, she thought it hadn’t been a dream. The bed next to her was empty, though. Not even Evie had shared the bed with her. Tears started to pool in her eyes. It had been a dream after all. Which also meant that the Doctor had yet to make his plan work.

She bit her lip and wiped her eyes. Falling apart wouldn’t help matters. Closing her eyes she wondered how to tell the children that their father was still gone, only to scold herself for thinking that way. Maybe Dave would be back by the time the bairns returned from school.

Rose could have sworn that she hadn’t been alone in the old bed. The dream had just been so real.

The floorboards creaked and her eyes flew open. There was movement by the door.

“It wasnae a dream,” Dave said sheepishly, carrying two mugs of coffee.

Rose couldn't breathe and, panicked, she sat up, drawing in big lungfuls of air. Her chest felt so tight.

“There, there,” Dave said, and he suddenly was on the bed beside her, his warm hands rubbing her soothingly, holding her, his breath on her cheek. “Breathe into your hands, Rose. Slowly, deeply.”

Rose did as she was told, still unable to process what was going on. It hadn’t been a dream. Why hadn’t he woken her? Why had he left to get the bloody coffee when she needed him beside her when she woke? Did he have _any_ idea? His eyes were wide brown pools of worry, but they offered her something to focus on as she tried to concentrate on breathing through the cup of her hands.

“Idiot,” she gasped.

“Aye,” Dave said, smiling.

“Why didn’t you say something?” she asked, close to tears once more. What was wrong with her?

“Dad told me you had trouble getting to sleep.”

“Idiots, both of you,” she sobbed, leaning into his arms.

“I’m sorry, Rose.”

He held her for a while, and Rose realised that she needed his warmth and his solidness to fully appreciate what was going on.

“You’re… back,” she managed to say eventually, sitting up.

“Aye,” he beamed, brushing back locks of her hair. He attacked her then, pulling her to him and claiming her mouth in a needy kiss that ruined all the breathing exercises she’d just done. Rose didn’t care. Dave was back. He was really there, kissing her silly, warm and solid and hardening against her thigh. She needed him.

Dropping her hand to his crotch she cupped him without finesse. Dave groaned into her mouth, his tongue momentarily stilling as he gave himself over to her. Rose felt a twinge in her lower abdomen and a rush of dampness in her knickers. “I need you,” she said, pulling away from his mouth.

“Aye,” Dave said dumbly. He let go of her and took off his t-shirt and pyjama bottoms, and, following his lead, Rose took off the cami and shorts she’d worn to bed. She lay back, adrenaline pumping through her, waiting for Dave to join her. He parted her legs with a touch to her thighs and knelt between them, guiding himself to her wet folds as he leaned forwards. There was no finesse in what he was about to do, either, and Rose was glad for it. They needed each other so badly, and _now_ ; there was time for rediscovery and cuddling later. 

She hissed in approval and encouragement as he pushed forward and into her, firm and so very familiar. He was really back, there was no mistaking it now. The feel of him, his smell and taste, it was all too detailed to be a dream. She could feel him twitch inside her, and his breath and groan were hot against her ear, tickling her.

Rose adjusted her legs, widening herself to take him even deeper inside her.

Dave bent to kiss her, his breath coming in puffs from his nose, and then he bit her lip.

“Ow!”

“Sorry. Clumsy.” He licked her lower lip.

“Nah. Needed it. To make sure,” she moaned as he withdrew and pushed into her with a short stabbing movement, “it’s not a dream this time.”

“It’s not,” he growled, reaching between them to press his thumb against her clit.

Rose cried out.

What _was_ going on? What was he doing to her?

“Oh, Rose,” he moaned, shimmying forwards on his knees for a better angle, sliding yet more deeply into her, trapping his hand between them. She dug her fingers into his upper arms.

“Please, Dave. Pleasepleaseplease.”

“Yes, Rose,” he growled. Then he began to set a rhythm. It was awkward at first, until he freed his hand and braced himself on either side of her on his elbows. He moved slowly, taking care, even in their urgency, to hit the right spots inside her. Rose clenched her muscles around him. She watched his eyelids flutter as he opened his mouth to moan. She’d never seen him more beautiful. Unable to resist, she gave him another squeeze.

“Rose, stop…”

“Why?”

“I’m gonna come.”

“Then do.”

“Not yet.”

“Please, Dave. Don’t wait. Just… fuck me.”

His eyes widened and he held himself very still. For a moment she was afraid she might have killed the mood with her language, and she decided not to use the f-word again. Rose tightened her walls around him in what she hoped was massaging gentleness. 

“Don’ wanna hurt ye.”

“I won’t break.” _I already am broken_.

Dave changed the angle yet again, and he began to drive himself to a climax. Rose managed to slide her hand between them, touching herself and timing it so that they came together. It didn’t take long. Dave pushed into her one last time, his skin wet against hers, face buried in the crook of her neck as he pulsed inside her. Rose arched into him, her own orgasm gentle but very pleasurable nonetheless. 

Dave relaxed on top of her, useless for the time being, and very much in need of reassurance. Rose loved his vulnerability, his trust in her to let himself go so completely after his orgasm. She craned her neck a little and shifted so she could kiss whatever she could reach of him; it was his cheek and the corner of his mouth. She felt his heart and breathing slow down and as she caressed his back.

“I’m sorry,” Dave mumbled.

“What for?” she asked, cupping the back of his head. She’d never get enough of burying her fingers in the mass of his hair.

“For… taking you. Fucking you.”

“I asked for it,” she reminded him.

“I still didn’t like it. That I lost control like that.”

Rose took a deep breath. “You’re… amazing.”

His eyes fluttered open. “Why?”

“You are the most caring lover I’ve ever had. No one’s been so concerned about me.”

“They should have been.”

“You don’t like the f-word much in bed, do you.”

“I find it too crude for… what we… oh dear.”

“What?”

“We didn’t use a condom.”

Rose stared at him. “No, I guess we didn’t.” She gave him a squeeze and his eyes closed. “I like lying with you like this.”

“I need to…”

“Dave?”

“Please.” He propped himself up. She felt cold where their skin had touched, and she had the feeling that she had messed things up. Rose let her legs fall open so he could withdraw, but closed them once he was gone. Dave shifted to give her some tissues from the box on the nightstand, then he cleaned himself up.

“I’m sorry. But… it’ll be okay. I won’t—”

Rose dropped the tissues on the floor and sat up. She felt strangely vulnerable in her nakedness. Besides, what had just happened?

Dave passed her a mug of coffee. It was just the right temperature. And it was a peace offering. She draped the sheets over he legs and crotch, sipping her coffee and giving Dave time to gather his thoughts.

“I just find it so overwhelming. Being back with you. Being so careless. It scares me,” he said eventually. “I love you so much, Rose.”

Rose’s heart was pounding. Oh. “It takes two to… be careless. I couldn’t help myself either. We don't really need the condoms, it's quite safe without them.” She put her mug on the nightstand, took Dave’s and put it beside hers. Then she lay down again and invited him to lie with her. Gathering him into her arms she whispered, “I missed you so much.”

Dave wrapped himself around her, tucking her head into the crook of his chin and throat. It felt good to be held like this, even though she’d wanted to hold and reassure him. Rose inhaled his earthy smell and dug her fingers into his flesh. They dozed off like that.

-:-

When they woke next, they took their time making love, and this time they used protection. Dave thought for a few moments that they might not need it after what had happened earlier, but he didn’t want to take any chances even though Rose was so convinced she wouldn’t get pregnant. He wasn’t ready for having a baby with her yet; he was selfish and jealous. He had to share her with the bairns already; he didn’t want to share her with a new child, a tiny wee person who’d love her unconditionally and be loved unconditionally by her in return.

“What time is it?” Rose asked when he joined her in bed again.

“The alarm's about to go off,” Dave said. “Does that mean we should get up?”

“It means we should tell the world you’re back.”

“Aye.” 

“Can I just say I hate having to share you?” Rose said.

Dave stared at her.

“It’s not that I want the bairns gone or anything,” she hurried to explain. “I love them too much. But sometimes—”

He clamped his hand firmly over her mouth. “Shshsh. I know what you mean.” After he’d made sure she wouldn’t protest, he let go of her and kissed her, just to shut her up and to show her he meant what he said. “It’s Wednesday the day after tomorrow. And I haven’t forgotten your promise.”

Rose smiled at him. “You’d better not have.”

They needn’t have worried about telling the children. Rose’s mobile rang at precisely the time Dave’s alarm ordinarily went off. It was Paul. “He’s probably too scared of being disappointed to call you,” Rose said, cupping his cheek and holding the phone out for him.

Dave accepted the device and answered the call.

“Rose?”

“It’s Dad,” Dave managed to say. He hadn’t realised how dry his mouth had gone until he needed to speak. Also, his voice was cracking.

There was silence.

“Paul?”

It took a while for Paul to answer, and Dave was beginning to wonder what was wrong when his son asked, “Is it really you?”

“Aye.” Had he really thought it would be the Doctor? Dave was hurt on the alien’s behalf, but he could understand Paul as well. The poor boy needed to be absolutely sure that he was really talking to his Dad. “I’m back. It worked. The machine, or whatever it was the Doctor and Torchwood built, worked. I’m at home with Rose.”

“Dad,” was all Paul was able to say.

“Are ye all right?” Dave asked, beginning to worry once more. Maybe it would be a good idea for the kids to take a day off from school. They could spend it together, all of them, be a family before the madness of day-to-day life reclaimed them.

“You’re really back.” Paul’s voice beginning to fill out with joy.

Dave grinned. “How about taking the day off? So we can do something together? All of us?”

“Really?”

“Aye. Tell Anna and Robin to meet us at Rose’s café in an hour. I’ll call the schools.” Dave took Rose’s hand and gave it a squeeze. She looked surprised. Then she mouthed the name of the café. “The Camelot.”

“Are we going to go out for breakfast?” Paul asked in surprise.

“Would you like that?”

“Oh yes!” Paul cried enthusiastically.

“Give me Anna, will ye?” Dave said, laughing.

There was the familiar rustling and excited whispering as Paul passed his phone to his aunt. “Dave?”

Dave would never have thought he would be so glad to hear his sister-in-law’s voice. “Hello, Anna.”

“Thank God you’re home!” She almost sobbed.

“I’m all right. Listen,” Dave said, trying to calm her down by telling her about his plans for the day. They all would have plenty of questions, and the easiest way to deal with them would be for all of them to meet. No one would have to repeat themselves or miss out on questions and answers someone else had.

Anna agreed to meet them. “It’s so good to have you back, Dave.”

Rose squeezed his hand and pointed in the general direction of the bathroom to let him know that she was going to get ready while he talked to Lucy. He had taken his own phone and dialled Lucy’s number, briefly wondering if he would still be able to give the Doctor a ring if need be. The image of a red emergency phone came to mind and he shook his head to dislodge it.

The call went straight to Lucy’s voicemail. She hadn’t switched it on. The computer’s voice asked him to press 1 and leave a message. Dave pressed the red button to disconnect the call. If Lucy’s phone was on the charger there was no point in leaving a message, not now. He decided to call Donna instead.

He stared at her name on the display for a beat. It would be strange to talk to her after meeting her counterpart Over There. She would be a constant reminder and a warning not to mix up the people he had met there with the people who were his family and friends here. Her name almost suggested that the people Over There weren’t real; they were, very much so. They just weren’t part of this reality.

Dave hit the green phone icon.

“Hello?” Donna sounded sleepy.

“It’s Dave.”

“Dave. Oh. Hello.”

“I’m back.”

Donna exhaled in relief. But before she could say anything else, Dave asked her to get Lucy.

“She isn’t here.”

“What?”

There was a brief pause.

“Lily told me she’s at yours, to support Lucy, you know,” Donna said. “I should have known, dammit.”

“Donna, what’s going on? Where is my daughter?”


	35. Thirty-Four

Thirty-Four

Dave was livid when he hung up, with Lucy as well as with Donna and Rose. More with the two women, to be honest, because they should have known better than to have allowed Lucy and Lily spend the day together and have a sleepover on a school night. Lucy tended to run away when she felt she couldn’t cope with what life was throwing at her. Which, in turn, made him furious with himself because he, if not Rita, should have taken better care of her and shown her how to deal with problems, instil more confidence in her, prove to her that she could trust him.

“Dave? I’m sorry, I… does she have a favourite place she goes to hide?” Rose asked when she joined him in the lounge with two coffees.

He sighed. “No. It depends on who’s high on her like list. I suppose that eliminates Donna’s because Lily has run off too.” He took his mug.

Rose bit her lip and ducked her head. “What aren’t you telling me?” Dave asked, slumping inwardly. Of course after all that had happened, Rose must be high on Lucy’s like list, but since she was on the wrong side she wasn’t available to offer a safe haven. “Do you have an idea where they might be?”

“No, I don’t,” Rose said. “If I did, I’d have told you already. Or gone after them myself and brought them back to you.”

“I can do that myself, thank you very much. I’m not that much of a shit father,” he snapped.

Rose’s eyes widened. When she replied she completely ignored his last comment. “Lucy is very upset. I should have known but I was so busy getting you back… I’m sorry, Dave. I can’t tell you. I can’t betray her like that.”

“She’s my daughter, Rose!” he cried, hurt that she would have entrusted Rose with such an apparently life-changing secret instead of him.

“Yes, and she’s… She trusts me, Dave. If I tell you I might as well have gone back to my universe with the Doctor.”

“You’re terrified of a teenager’s whims?” Dave asked, even more hurt, and the words left his mouth before he could censor himself. He’d known that Lucy could be difficult, but deep down Lucy was a decent young woman. She was his daughter. It was beyond him why Rose would rather not betray her confidence than put him out of his misery. He felt like a shit father, didn't she see that? 

Rose opened and closed her mouth. “Look at us,” she said eventually.

Dave squared his shoulders.

“If I told you she’d never be able to trust me again, and what kind of a stepmother would that make me? The bad kind, from fairy tales. She’d hate me forever, and it would affect our relationship as well,” she said.

Dave swallowed. “Now you’re scaring me.”

Rose closed her eyes and cupped her forehead. “God, I’m sorry. Lucy and Lily are very close, and I’m sure they don’t want to be found because of what would happen to Lily if she returns to her own universe.”

Dave sat on the arm of the sofa. He was so relieved it was ridiculous. He nearly laughed out loud. But he also couldn’t believe what her words implied. “Do you really think I’d allow the Doctor to send a child to her death? Would he even do something like that?”

“If it’s a fixed point in time, if it needs to happen, then yes,” Rose said very softly, and the way she ducked her head again told him how ashamed she was at the thought. “But Lily isn’t a fixed point in time.”

“No. She was dead in her universe. Rita told me,” he said, reaching out for Rose’s hands. She took his and allowed him to pull her between his knees, where he wrapped his arms around her. “They never found her body after the blast. 

“Lily doesn’t know that,” Rose said, cupping his cheek.

“No.”

Rose smiled and rested her forehead against his. “What’s wrong with us?”

“We’re still on edge because of what happened,” Dave said. “And we’re very protective of the bairns.”

Dave’s phone rang. He let go of Rose to accept the call. “It’s Lucy,” he said in surprise. “Hello, sweetheart.”

Rose stepped away from him and left the lounge to give them some privacy.

“Dad! You’re back,” Lucy sounded overjoyed and crushed at the same time. Dave supposed that only teenagers could do that.

“Lucy, love, what’s wrong? Where are you?” He closed his eyes when he realised his mistake. Too many questions usually just served to drive his daughter further away from him.

“I can’t tell you,” she said guardedly.

“Is Lily with you?”

Lucy didn’t reply.

“The Doctor and Jenny are gone. The portal is closed and the Doctor is working on sealing it off. Lily can’t go back, love. She’s safe,” he hastened to say.

“Really?”

“Aye.”

Lucy’s next question broke his heart. “Can we come home?”

“Of course you can. Although… we’re going to meet the others at the Camelot in half an hour. Will you be able to make it? Do you need any money for a cab?” he asked.

“We’ll be fine, Dad. We’ll be there,” Lucy said. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, don’t worry.”

“I’m so glad you’re back. And that the Doctor and Miss Redfern got home as well,” Lucy added. After he’d ended the call he went in search of Rose. He found her in the bedroom, getting dressed.

“I’m sorry,” he said, sitting heavily on the bed. The room still carried the faint smell of sex, even after airing out for a while.

“Yeah.”

“Did you really want to go with the Doctor?” The question had been bugging him for a long time and he needed to get it out of his system.

“No,” Rose said. “I did have a brief fantasy about leaving with him, but what I saw was too different from what we have. I’m not sure I could travel with him any more.”

Dave stared at her. Had she really chosen a life with him and four children that weren’t even hers over gallivanting about Time and Space with the dashing Doctor in his bigger-on-the-inside phone box?

“What about you?” she asked, sitting down next to him. “Did you want to stay with Rita?”

“No, but I did have a brief fantasy about staying with her,” he said, echoing her words. But he didn’t want to make light of the matter. “The Rita over there wasn’t my Rita. Just like Murray and Agnes weren’t my parents. The similarity did help with trusting them, though. But their Torchwood is nothing like yours.”

That made her smile, and they hugged. It was a beginning, but he knew that they had a lot of things to discuss to see where his being stranded had left them. He knew already that Rose was ready and willing to be an important part of the children’s lives. The fact that she had left them in his Dad’s care when she could to go back to Torchwood only proved that she needed to have an active part in getting him back. She had done the same during Paul’s illness. And he’d been such an idiot.

“You should get dressed,” she said.

-:-

Half an hour later they arrived at the Camelot. Anna, Robin and the children were already there. The bairns nearly swept him off his feet in their enthusiasm to hug him and get a cuddle, and Dave wished he had three sets of arms to hold each of them. Evie ended up sitting on his hip as the boys pulled him towards the quiet corner Anna and Robin had chosen. Evie slid off him as Anna embraced him, for once speechless and close to tears. He held her close and accepted Robin’s helpless grin and a clap on the shoulder.

When eventually he was able to sit, the children joined him on the sofa as if to make sure he didn’t leave them. Francesca arrived to take their order, and as she left, Lucy and Lily arrived hand in hand.

“Dad,” Lucy said, making him turn around. She looked close to tears, and he noticed at once that the girls weren’t only holding hands but that their fingers were interlaced.

“Lucy.” He stood and went towards her to hold her. Lucy burst into tears then, and Lily started to rub her back and her hair soothingly.

“I’m so sorry, Mr… Dave,” Lily said. “I shouldn’t have asked you to take me there.”

“It’s not your fault, Lily,” Dave said, reaching out to include her in the hug. He dropped kisses on both their heads, and Lily, who’d been tense, relaxed and slid her arm around his back. When they had recovered, he guided them to sit at a small table away from the others, much to the dismay of the others. Ewan even started to go over to get them, but Paul pulled him away. “Leave them, Ewan. They need to tell him.”

Ewan’s face lit up in understanding, and Dave wondered what he was in for.

“Dare I even ask where you’ve been?”

“At Rose’s. I… borrowed her key,” Lucy said shamefaced, producing Rose’s keys from her coat pocket and putting them on the table between them. “We did clean up after ourselves, though.”

“But you had your phone turned off,” he said dumbly. “How did you know I was back?”

“Paul called me,” Lily said. “We’d… planned that.”

“Why?”

“Well,” Lucy began, exchanging glances with Lily.

“Sending you back was never an option,” Dave said, sparing them the horrible thought. 

“It would have been nice if someone had told us that. We’re not little children any more,” Lucy pointed out.

“As you’ve so soundly proven by running away,” Dave said. Dark clouds moved over his daughter’s face. “If you’re so adult… why didn’t you talk to us, hmm? I was so scared.”

“So were we,” Lily said. “I’m really sorry.”

Dave sighed. He sympathised with the girls. “You’ll have to tell Rose you broke into her house.”

“There’s something else, though, Dad,” Lucy said.

He nodded for them to go on, and when Lucy reached across the table for Lily’s hand he had an idea of what was going on, which didn’t prepare him at all for the actual words when they came. “Lily and I are in love,” Lucy said quickly.

His eyes widened. “Oh.”

Lucy’s hopeful face shrouded itself in rain clouds again. It was one of those days when he couldn’t get anything right. He shouldn’t be as surprised as he was; after all, Lucy had never expressed an interest in boys and had gone on about girls and other women — teachers, shop assistants and actresses — she found attractive. “I’m… happy for you.”

Lucy frowned.

Drat. “I mean it, Lucy. I’m glad you’re happy, both of you. It’s all I ever want for my children.”

“Don’t you think it’s… because of Mum?”

Oh dear. “Lily, would you mind giving us a minute?”

Lily, who had watched the conversation with an array of emotions playing over her face, kissed Lucy’s cheek and joined the others. Dave briefly noticed that Donna had arrived, apparently alerted by Rose. Had she also remembered to call the schools?

“Lucy, sweetheart, look at me,” he said, moving to the chair Lily had just vacated. “Did Rita know you liked girls?”

Lucy shook her head. “But I think she might have had an idea.”

“I’m sure that she would think the same thing I do. The most important thing is that you’re happy, and frankly I don’t care if it’s a boy or a girl,” he said.

Lucy looked close to tears. “I know.”

“But that’s not really it, is it?” He felt a bit stupid for not catching her drift. So he covered her hand in encouragement. “You can tell me. Or Rose. But please do talk to someone about it, someone who isn’t Lily. She might be a little biased. Hmm?”

“No, I want to tell you. You’ll understand. I feel likeI’m not allowed to be so much in love,” Lucy blurted.

Dave guffawed. “Lucy, love. I… of course you’re allowed to be happy. And in love.”

“No, I mean because of Mum.”

Dave wanted to tell her not to be ridiculous, but then he understood how much Lucy was still grieving for her mother. It wasn’t that he wasn’t mourning Rita’s loss any more, but he was coping differently. The whole thing with Stuart had made it difficult for her to really mourn for her Mum. No wonder she felt guilty now that she had some peace. “Who said that?”

“No one. I… feel…”

“Now, Lucy, listen to me. This is what life throws at us sometimes. Sometimes, grief and happiness are very close together, and I believe that they’re so closely linked because happiness, and love, get us through our grief. Look at me and Rose. I should be the guiltiest man alive. I do miss Rita, all the time, but I have you and the others, and I have Rose. Just because I have Rose doesn’t mean I don’t love Rita any more. And Rose still misses the Doctor, but she’s with me, with us.”

“Oh,” Lucy sniffed. She rummaged in her bag for some tissues and blew her nose.

“Come here,” he said, sitting on the edge of his chair so she could hug him. From the corner of his eye he could see Francesca arrive with their coffees, but he winked at her and she took them to the big table where the others were. “I love you, Lucy.”

Lucy nodded, and while he sensed that she’d need some time to internalise his words to really believe them he felt that she was feeling better. “Shall we go and join the others?”

Just as Francesca brought their food, a very bleary-eyed Murray arrived. She returned at once with the strongest black coffee she could legally sell and placed the mug before his Dad. “Thank ye, dearie,” Murray sighed, sipping the brew.

-:-

Later that night, Dave joined his Dad in the lounge with some whisky. He didn’t usually drink it, but when in the company of his Dad he enjoyed a good dram. The fire was burning in the grate, but the sound of rain was gone; now it was just very cold, but the Time Lords had promised Murray that that would pass in a few days when the atmosphere had settled down again.

“So, did you meet the Doctor?” his Dad asked after they’d enjoyed their first sip of the peaty Islay whisky.

“He’s quite the pretty boy,” Dave said.

Murray guffawed. “Have you looked in the mirror lately, son?”

Dave ran his hands through his hair.

“You do look a lot alike,” Murray continued. “I had no idea until I met him.”

Dave gnawed the back of his thumb. They had discussed this, and he was sure that his Dad and Rose had had time to talk as well. Still, he couldn’t blame him for finding it difficult to grasp the concept of doppelgängers being people in their own right rather than a reprint of someone’s photo. “Describe him to me. I didn’t really talk that much to him. It was a bit weird meeting him, though.”

“Well, he’s a very clever man. A clever old man; I could see it in his eyes. Lots of life — lives — in them. Lots of baggage,” his Dad said.

“He’s nothing like me.”

His Dad swirled the amber liquid in its tumbler and sipped it. “I wouldn’t say that. There are similarities in character. But at the end of the day, you’re two entirely different men,” he said, and the way his tone changed Dave knew that his Dad understood what he meant.

“I met your doppelgänger Over There,” Dave said carefully.

“Oh?”

“And… Mum’s.”

His Dad shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “But they were different because they had each other. And because they didn’t have you.”

“How did you know?”

“Have you ever heard of a triplegänger?”

Dave laughed but sobered quickly. He sipped his drink. “No.”

They sat in silence for a while.

“Agnes was in a wheel chair. And their Dave hadn’t survived his appendectomy,” Dave continued.

“What did she look like?” his Dad asked, and Dave couldn’t even begin to imagine how much asking that question must have cost him.

“Older, with quite a bit of grey, and some laugh lines, but still very beautiful. I’d never realised how beautiful Mum was,” he said. It was the first time in ages that they talked so candidly about his Mum.

“She was your Mum,” his Dad pointed out. “I think children don’t look at their parents that way. But aye, she was very beautiful.”

“Do you… you know, Lucy asked me that earlier today,” Dave began, “I mean, I lost Rita and she was the love of my life, and then came Rose so very soon after. And I love her so much already. Whereas you…” He couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence.

“I’m not as strong as you, son,” his Dad said. “Your Mum was the strong one. You must have got that from her. But I do have Holly, and I love her too.”

“I’m glad. And I feel horrible for never asking you about your love life,” Dave said.

His Dad smirked. “I’m all right, m’boy.”

“You know,” Dave said, leaning back, “I don’t think I got the strong gene from Mum alone.”

-Fin-


End file.
